TAMPA, MARCH 10, 2019 – Ethan Chargois scored 19 points and had five rebounds to lead five SMU players in double figures as the Mustangs defeated USF 77-71 Sunday on Senior Day at the Yuengling Center.
Feron Hunt added 17 points and 14 rebounds off the bench and Jimmy Whitt Jr. finished with 14 points and three steals.
USF redshirt freshman
Alexis Yetna (Paris) recorded his league-leading 11th double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while
Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) chipped in with 10 points and made two 3-pointers.
USF (19-12, 8-10) built its largest lead of the game midway through the first half on a free throw by Yetna to give the Bulls a 22-16 advantage, but SMU answered with a 15-2 run to go ahead 33-26 at the 2:19 mark. A three-pointer from Hunt with just over a minute remaining gave the Mustangs an eight-point lead at halftime.
SMU (14-16, 6-12) scored the first six points of the second half and would go on to shoot 63.6 percent over the final 20 minutes. The Mustangs missed just eight shots in the second half and led by as many as 15 points.
A three-pointer from
Rashun Williams (Arlington, Ga.) cut the deficit to seven points with 1:53 remaining, but SMU used back-to-back baskets go push its lead back into double digits. Collins converted a layup on the final USF possession and has now scored in double figures in 10 straight games.
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory on the game:
"Give SMU credit. They played better than we did today. Defensively, we weren't nearly as good as we needed to be. Offensively, we got stagnant against the zone and that impacted our defense. They are very explosive offensively, a very talented team. We were on our heels offensively and defensively, and unfortunately its part of the process when you don't play well. We did not respond well today and that's disappointing."
Key Stats
58.0 – SMU shot 58.0 percent from the field and held USF to 35.0 percent.
18 – SMU scored 18 fast break points and limited the Bulls to zero.
44 – SMU scored 44 points in the paint and featured five players in double figures.
Notable
- USF made six three-pointers and now holds the single-season school record with 214.
- USF recorded 40 rebounds to mark the 15th time the season the Bulls have grabbed at least 40.
- USF upped its season rebound total 1,213 and now ranks fifth all-time in school history.
- Alexis Yetna tallied 13 rebounds and now ranks second on the AAC all-time freshman single-season list with 277.
Up Next
The eighth-seeded Bulls will face No. 9 seed UConn Thursday at 1 p.m. (EST) in the opening round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
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.
