TAMPA, NOV. 24, 2017 – USF mounted a 7-0 run with 10 minutes left in the second half to break a 43-43 tie and never looked back against the Arkansas State Red Wolves, taking the Black Friday matinee, 72-61.

Forward Malik Martin (Miami, Fla.) made his first start of the season and made the most of it, getting his first career double-double. Martin finished the day with 24 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs.

Tulio Da Silva (Formiga, Brazil) added 13 points and six rebounds after coming off the bench, both of which were second on the team.

The Bulls have won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a year, dating back to Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, 2016 versus Kennesaw State and Troy.

USF shot 50 percent (13-for-26) in the first half, led by eight points from Martin.

Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory's opening statement:
"I thought we played well. One-day preparation against a team that does all the stuff that they do, it's a tough prep for us. But I thought our guys were organized, they were disciplined in what we needed to do, they executed what we wanted."
"I was pleased with our effort, pleased with Malik Martin and his response. He was aggressive, he played with assertiveness. I look at one stat in terms of if you're playing hard, and that's offensive rebounds. If you're supposed to go and you're really playing hard, you'll get some, or at least going to recognize that you're keeping some plays alive."

Malik Martin on his first start of the season:
"You always have to be ready when your number is called. They told me I was starting, and it just worked out that way. There wasn't any extra motivation or anything. It's just another game. The balls just happened to go in more than the others."

Payton Banks on Terrence Samuel's impact:
"Terrence is a huge, huge piece to our team. A lot of the stuff he does on the court doesn't really show up in the stat sheet and doesn't get a lot of recognition, but he's a great leader, he's our best defender. We always give him the task of running these guards all over the place."

Key Stats
40 – USF scored 42 of its 72 points in the paint, compared to 16 for Arkansas State.
48.0 – The Bulls shot 48 percent (25-for-52) from the field, including 50 percent (13-for-26) in the first half.
9-for-11 – Malik Martin was 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) from the field in the contest.
16 – Malik Martin's previous career high was 16 points, while at USC.

Notable

• The game marked only the second different starting lineup for the Bulls after starting the same five players in the first five games.
• Terrence Samuel went 4-for-4 from the free throw line to bring his season percentage to 92.3 (24-for-26).
• As a team, the Bulls are shooting 78.2 percent (93-for-119) from the line this season.
• Center Nikola Scekic (Belgrade, Serbia) set a new career-high with eight points in the contest. He tied his career-high with six first half points.
• Wing Payton Banks will play in his 100^th career Division I game on Sunday against Eastern Michigan.

Up Next
USF concludes the Hoosier Tip-Off Classic 4 p.m. Sunday against Eastern Michigan at the Sun Dome. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10^th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-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.

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