TULSA, Okla., FEB. 23, 2017 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team (7-20, 1-15 The American) surged back from an early 14 point deficit to tie Tulsa in the second half but the Golden Hurricane pulled away late to defeat the Bulls 82-68 on Thursday night.

Junior guard Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh) compiled a game-high 24 points, one shy of his career best. He also added five assists and a career-high five steals against Tulsa (13-14, 7-8).

Facing foul trouble throughout the night and missing both Michael Bibby (Phoenix) and forward Bo Zeigler (Detroit) due to injury, USF found themselves in an early 15-1 deficit.

Trailing 24-10, the Bulls went on a 15-7 run, capped by a Ruben Guerrero drive and dunk from the top of the arc. The Spainard's slam pulled USF within six, 31-25.

After another Tulsa run, the Bulls would lower the deficit back to five, 39-34, entering halftime. Despite playing the final 13:13 with two fouls, Thorpe registered a game-high 13 points in the opening stanza.

Out of the break, the Bulls tied Tulsa at 47 on a Geno Thorpe 3 and again at 49 following a Troy Holston (Queens, N.Y.) jumper with 14:39 to go in regulation.

The Golden Hurricane then posted the next nine consecutive points to put USF in a bigger hole. The Bulls would only get as close as four points at the 6:56 junction as Tulsa held on for the victory.

Key Stat

• The Bulls committed 25 fouls in the game. Tulsa, who leads the conference in free throw shooting percentage, went 24-for-32 at the line including 17-for-20 in the second half.

Quotable

Interim head coach Murry Bartow on the Bulls' effort and the difference:

“The guys fought hard and competed hard but you can't spot (Tulsa) a 15-1 lead.”

Coach Bartow on the comeback from 14 points down to tie the game:

“There were a lot of positives…great energy and competitive spirit. We just made some mistakes the last 7-8 minutes that hurt us.”

Notables

• Thorpe netted 20+ points for the sixth time this season and fourth in the last six games.
• Redshirt freshman forward Tulio Da Silva (Brazil) totaled 10 points, all in the second half.
• The team's 12 steals tied a season-high (at Troy, 12/1).
• USF shot 41 percent (24-for-59) and 75 percent (12-for-16) from the free throw line.
• Holston dished four assists, one shy of his career best (at Temple, 2/5).
• Freshman forward Malik Fitts (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) added nine points and seven rebounds.
• Guerrero finished with seven points, five rebounds and two blocks. He now has 113 career blocks, surpassing Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (112) for sixth most blocks in program history.
• On Thursday, USF made eight, three-pointers, giving the team 41 this month. The Bulls are participating in the Coaches vs. Cancer Three Point Challenge throughout February. Learn more/donate HERE.

Up Next

The Bulls return home to host UCF in a War on I-4 meeting on March 2 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE.

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.

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