HONOLULU, Hawaii (December 24, 2021) – Coming off a season-low scoring output on Wednesday, the University of South Florida (5-6) offense flipped the script with a new season high in a 76-69 victory over the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (4-5) in the second round of the Diamond Head Classic on Thursday night.
Javon Greene (McDonough, Ga.) scored a season-high 18 points as the Bulls snapped a two-game skid. Caleb Murphy (Youngstown, Ohio) added 17 points to go along with a team-best six assists.
South Florida shook up its starting lineup on Thursday with DJ Patrick (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Corey Walker Jr. (Jacksonville) each logging their first starts of the season. That shift helped lead the Bulls bench to chipping in 29 points in the contest.
USF carried a 34-23 advantage into halftime before the home team and tournament host rallied in the second half to knot the score at 48-apiece with 9:26 left in the game.
The Bulls' defense stepped up from there and the offense followed suit as USF was able to reclaim the lead and hold off the Rainbow Warriors.
Walker Jr. sparked the effort on both ends of the court with a steal and coast-to-coast dunk. The freshman had steals on three straight possessions and finished the game with four thefts.
South Florida logged nine total steals and forced 15 Hawai'i turnovers. The Bulls scored 22 points off those miscues. USF also dominated the glass, 35-22 against one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Bulls also pulled down 15 offensive boards and converted those into 14 second-chance points.
Notable
- South Florida knocked down six three pointers and shot 37.5% from downtown after only hitting six total threes over its last three games.
- Serrel Smith Jr. (St. Petersburg) scored a season-high seven points off the USF bench.
- Jalyn McCreary (Marietta, Ga.) led the Bulls with six rebounds and added seven points.
Up Next
The Bulls wrap up play at the Diamond Head Classic on Christmas Day in the fifth-place game against Wyoming. Tipoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET.
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About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory, who enters his fifth season in 2021-22. Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history in March of 2017 after previously leading 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 owns over 300 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship with Dayton. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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