By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, DEC. 21, 2017 – Thursday night was a shining example of the progress the Bulls are making under first-year head coach Brian Gregory.

USF (7-6) fought back from an early 14-point deficit and closed the nonconference season in dramatic fashion by pulling out a 78-76 victory over Charlotte at the Sun Dome.

With at least 19 games left to play, USF has matched its entire 2016-17 wins total and posted three straight victories for the first time since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. USF's seven nonconference victories are the program's most since winning nine games at the beginning of 2013-14.

Tulio Da Silva led the comeback with a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first double-double of the season. The redshirt sophomore from Formiga, Brazil is averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds during the Bulls' current winning streak.

Graduate Payton Banks (Orange, Calif.) helped cut the 14-point deficit down to one in the first half with consecutive three-pointers in the final 2:30 and finished with 13 points.

With Banks forced to miss valuable minutes after catching an elbow in the second half, sharp-shooting freshman Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) stepped up by setting new career highs with 12 points and four made three-pointers.

After trailing by double digits, USF trimmed its deficit down to 41-39 by the end of the first half after sinking six of its last eight shots. Da Silva gave the Bulls a big boost on both ends of the court early on with 13 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The lead changed hands twice in the first two minutes of the second half before USF took charge with a 7-0 run that extended the lead to 59-55 with 10 minutes remaining. USF led by as many as eight down the stretch and held on by forcing a missed three-pointer in the final seconds.

Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory on Tulio Da Silva's career night capping off an all-around effort for the Bulls:
"Our guys came out and they fought for 40 minutes. I thought Tulio was exceptional tonight, great energy. It's amazing how many more shots you make when you're playing as hard as he played… I thought Jiggetts played well, I thought Terrence played really well. Banks played well, Isaiah played well and our two freshmen played really well for us. They were probably the difference in the game."

Gregory on the progress the Bulls have made in the nonconference season:
"We win seven games in the nonconference, that's the first time in four years with the most wins in the nonconference, that's important. Three straight home wins, that's the first time in four years we've done that against Division I teams. Those are little things that four, five years down the road, you'll look back and say that was really important in what you're trying to build."

Key Stats
41 – USF pulled down 41 rebounds and finished with a 10-board advantage.
38 – The Bulls had a scoring advantage of 38-26 in the paint, which helped them shoot nearly 50 percent in the game.
25 – USF kept Charlotte's comeback out of reach by outrebounding the 49ers, 25-14, in the second half.

Notable

• Tulio Da Silva secured his second double-digit scoring game in the past three outings by halftime with 13 points. Da Silva finished with a career-high 23 points after setting his single-game high with 10 made field goals in addition to a career-high three blocks.
• Freshman David Collins returned after missing five games with a left knee sprain and scored six points in eight minutes.
• Stephan Jiggetts tied his season high with eight assists in addition to seven points and a steal.
• USF improved to 6-3 at home this season and 29-25 all-time against Charlotte.

Up Next
USF begins conference play at home against Houston on Thursday, Dec. 28. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can reserve their 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.