DALLAS, TEXAS, DEC. 31, 2017 – After the Bulls pulled even at 11 with 6:49 remaining in the first half, SMU pulled ahead and never looked back, defeating USF 79-39.

The Bulls (7-8, 0-2) lost their second straight to open American Athletic Conference play after closing out nonconference play with three straight victories.

Overall, USF had a season-low 16 points in the first half, the first time since Dec. 28, 2016 at ECU that USF had scored less than 20 points in the first half. The Bulls shot 6-for-24 (25.0 percent) in the first half.

Isaiah Manderson (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Bulls in scoring with 14 points, tying his career high. He's averaging 11 points per game in the last four games.

Tulio Da Silva finished with the second-most points for the Bulls, coming in with nine.

Terrence Samuel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with 8, his largest total since he scored 10 against FIU on Dec. 11.

Malik Martin had 10 rebounds to lead the Bulls. his third game this season with 10-plus rebounds. Entering the season, Martin had never had a game with more than 10 rebounds.
 
Key Stats
11 – SMU had 11 different players score in the game.
33 – SMU has won 33 straight games at Moody Coliseum, the second longest home winning streak in Division I, behind Cincinnati's 34.
2 – Tulio Da Silva made two three pointers in a game for the first time in his career.
 
Notable

• USF leading scorer Payton Banks (Orange, Calif.) missed his second consecutive game due to illness. Banks is averaging 13.7 points for the Bulls this season.
• Tulio Da Silva (Formiga, Brazil) pulled down five rebounds in the first five minutes of the game, but was forced to the bench after picking up his second foul with 14:52 remaining in the half. He finished with six rebounds. Three of his six boards came on the offensive end of the floor.
• Malik Martin (Miami, Fla.) picked up his 20^th block of the season in the first half. He is currently sixth in The American in blocked shots.

 
Up Next
The Bulls return home to take on East Carolina at the Sun Dome on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast 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.

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