TAMPA, NOVEMBER 3, 2017 – The first look at the 2017-18 USF men's basketball team proved to be a good one as the Bulls cruised to a 94–66 victory over the Flagler Saints in the exhibition opener at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls' 94 points bested any effort last season and they held the lead for all but 2:39.

Payton Banks led the way for the Bulls, scoring 19 points and going 6-for-7 from three-point land. Tulio Da Silva added 18 of his own while pulling in seven rebounds. Isaiah Manderson chipped in a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.

The Bulls had assists on 21 of 32 shots and Terrence Samuel led the team with seven assists. USF was also plus-19 on the boards with 16 offensive rebounds.

Key Stat

• The Bulls won their 13th straight exhibition since records were available beginning with the 2005-06 season. Last season, they defeated Nova Southeastern, 72-64, in the preseason exhibition.

Quotable
Head Coach Brian Gregory on the positives from the game:
 "I thought our guys did a lot of good things tonight. We shared the ball really well tonight with 21 assists, 32 baskets. That's fantastic. One of the challenges we have offensively is just being connected out there. Only Payton (Banks) and Terrence (Samuel) have played together, so that's a challenge. But we took a step forward in that today."

Forward Tulio Da Silva on the team:
"We definitely played as a team. The chemistry was good. It was great to come back to the Sun Dome with a bunch of new guys and have this kind of showing."

Wing Payton Banks on his sharp shooting:
"I have to give it to my team. They found me in a lot of situations and trusted me to knock it down. It's what I do, and if I'm open I'm definitely going to let it go."

Notables

• Payton Banks bested his previous regular season career-high with six made threes. His regular season high is five, set on Jan. 1, 2017 at Rutgers, when he was at Penn State.
• Terrence Samuel's seven assists are a career high. His previous career high was six, set on March 18, 2015 against Arizona State while he was at UConn.
• The Bulls shot 50 percent (16 for 32) in the second half.
• Sophomore Henry Beard and freshmen Justin Brown and David Collins each scored their first collegiate points.

Up Next:
USF opens the regular season next Friday, Nov. 10 against FAU at 8 p.m. The game is the second half of a doubleheader with the USF women's basketball team, which will take on LSU at 5:30 p.m. There will be free parking in the Sun Dome lots for anyone who arrives before the conclusion of the women's game.
 
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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.