ORLANDO, Fla., JAN. 17, 2017 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team (6-11, 0-6 The American) received a career high tying 22 points from junior guard Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh) but it wasn't enough to overcome a 38 point performance from redshirt senior guard Matt Williams in an 86-64 loss at UCF (14-4, 5-1) on Tuesday night.

The Bulls trailed early on in the War on I-4 game as the Knights tallied the first seven points. UCF hit nine treys in the opening frame, six from Williams, to build a 12 point halftime lead.

Thorpe (Pittsburgh) led the Bulls at the break with eight points and four assists. Sophomore guard Troy Holston (Queens, N.Y.) also had seven points early on for USF.

The Bulls were unable to cut the deficit down to single digits in the second half despite another 14 points from Thorpe and an additional nine points by Holston.

Quotable

Interim head coach Murry Bartow on UCF's perimeter shooting:

'When a team makes 14 threes on us, it makes it very difficult (to win)…Matt Williams was obviously the difference in the game.”

Key Stat

• Matt Williams' career-high 38 points led all players in scoring. His 11 made three-pointers set a school record and conference record.          

Notables

• Thorpe has now scored double figures in 13 of the team's 17 games this season.
• The three made treys from Thorpe set a career-high. Holston also recorded three treys.
• Junior guard Jake Bodway (Bloomington, Minn.) registered three steals, a new career-high.
• The Bulls lost despite shooting 42 percent from the floor and 41 percent from beyond the arc.
• With the victory, UCF inches ahead of USF 18-15 in the War on I-4 standings.
• The teams will meet again at USF on March 2 at 7 p.m.

Up Next

USF returns home to host Tulsa on Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com. Fans out of town can catch the game on ESPNU.

About USF Men's Basketball

The USF men's basketball team is led by interim head coach Murry Bartow. Coach Bartow has served as a collegiate basketball coach for 30 seasons and boasts eight postseason tournaments, including four NCAA Tournaments.

The Bulls feature freshman Tulio Da Silva, junior Ruben Guerrero, sophomore Troy Holston and junior Geno Thorpe.

USF has retired three numbers in its 46-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.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.

– #GoBulls –