Box Score TAMPA, FEB. 7, 2016 – Freshman Jahmal McMurray scored a team-high 18 points, but No. 12 SMU shot 60.3 percent from the field to win 92-58 Sunday at the Sun Dome.
McMurray was 7-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, his 20th consecutive game with a made 3-pointer, in 39 minutes of play. Guarding him was reigning American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Nic Moore, who finished with 17 points and eight assists.
“I know that people are taking notice and game planning for him (McMurray) to try to make things difficult for him,” said head coach Orlando Antigua. “I'm proud of him for how he's continued to grow and mature and take on the challenges that have been presented to him. He's got a great future and we have to keep teaching him how to lead, how to run the team and when to take over. I'm really glad that he's a part of our team.”
SMU improved to 20-2 (9-2) on the season and did so with a very efficient offense that included 14-of-24 from 3-point range and a season-high 27 assists to just eight turnovers. USF (5-20, 2-10) shot 43.8 percent from the field and was 4-of-14 from 3-point range.
SMU jumped out to an 11-0 lead and went ahead 46-24 at halftime. The Mustangs, who were led by Shake Milton's 22 points, grabbed its largest lead of the game, 69-33, with 10:44 remaining.
An already depleted USF roster got even thinner when sophomore forward Bo Zeigler left the game with a left knee injury with 13:10 left in the first half. The Bulls finished the game with five scholarship players. Walk-on guard Jake Bodway benefited from the short bench as he finished with a season-high four points in a career-high 26 minutes.
“Just deal with the hand you're dealt,” Antigua said.
Senior center Jaleel Cousins finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward Angel Nunez rounded out the double-figure scorers with 12 points to go with nine rebounds.
“They moved the ball and they shot the ball extremely well,” Antigua said of SMU, the preseason conference favorite. “That was a good team playing extremely well at the right time. That makes a bad combination for us.”
USF will have a week away from competition before playing at Temple on Feb. 14 at 3 p.m.
The USF men's basketball team is led by Orlando Antigua, who is in his second season as the head coach after spending the previous six season as an assistant to Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari. USF has played the toughest schedule in the American Athletic Conference and one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA. USF has retired three numbers in its 45-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times. In the 2011-12 season, USF was one win away from an appearance in the Sweet 16.
