MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA NOV. 16, 2018 – Alexis Yetna (Paris, France) scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead USF to a 73-46 victory over Ohio Friday evening in the second round of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
T.J. Lang (Mobile, Ala.) and
Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) also scored 11 points and freshman
Michael Durr (Atlanta, Ga.) added 10 points and four rebounds.
Teyvion Kirk paced Ohio with 13 points and Antonio Cowart finished in double figures with 10 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
Ohio (2-1) led 12-7 midway through the first half on a basket from Kirk, but USF answered with a 26-3 run to close the half and build an 33-15 lead. The Bobcats were held to just one free throw and a basket by Ben Vander Plas over the final 11:31 of the first half.
The Bobcats managed to cut the lead to 16 three times in the second half but would get no closer. The Bulls would lead by as many as 29 points en route to the largest victory under head coach
Brian Gregory. Last season, USF won at Memphis by 24 points.
Key Stats
2 – USF held Ohio to just 2-for-25 shooting from three-point range.
11 – USF finished with 11 steals for its third straight game in double digits.
29.1 – USF limited Ohio to only 29.1 percent shooting from the field.
26 – USF outscored the Ohio bench 26-11 and has received more bench points that all three of its opponents.
2 –
Rashun Williams and
Mark Calleja scored their first two points in a Bulls uniform.
Notables
- USF started a season 3-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- USF earned its first victory over Ohio and is now 1-2 all-time against the Bobcats.
- USF improved to 13-10 all-time against schools currently in the MAC.
- USF entered play ranked 19th in the NCAA with 11.0 steals per game and finished with exactly 11.
Up Next
USF continues competition in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic on Sunday at 12 p.m. when the Bulls face Georgetown in Montego Bay, Jamaica, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th 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. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14.
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.
