TAMPA (January 15, 2022) – The University of South Florida Bulls (6-10, 1-3 AAC) led wire-to-wire and held the UCF Knights (10-5, 2-3 AAC) to a season-low scoring output in a 75-51 romp at the Yuengling Center on Saturday night.

Javon Greene (McDonough, Ga.) matched a career high with five three-pointers and scored a season-best 19 points for South Florida. The fifth-year senior also led USF in rebounds (9) and steals (4).

The Bulls knocked down a season-high eight three-pointers in the blowout victory.

"This was a great team win and I thought we played exceptionally well in every facet of the game with great energy from start to finish," said head coach Brian Gregory. "We hustled all night, we played hard and with great discipline. That's really encouraging to see."

Caleb Murphy (Youngstown, Ohio) chipped in 13 points and a career-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists, two blocks and a steal. Jamir Chaplin (Norcross, Ga.) added 10 points and matched a career high with eight rebounds.

USF dominated the glass with a 53-26 rebounding advantage including a season-best 21 offensive boards. The Bulls turned those extra possessions into 25 second-chance points.

"We needed everybody. We had a lot of guys step up with us playing short-handed tonight, and the guys answered the call," Gregory added.

Bayron Matos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and Corey Walker Jr. (Jacksonville) combined for 16 rebounds, each securing a new season high in that category individually. Sam Hines Jr. (Marietta, Ga.) dished out a season-best three assists and DJ Patrick (Powder Springs, Ga.) drained a pair of three-pointers late in the contest to push the USF lead over 20 points to the elation of a lively crowd.

"I've had the privilege of being part of a lot of big rivalries in my basketball career, and this one rates right up there. There's real passion," Gregory said. "Our fans and that student section were just fantastic tonight. Our guys really fed off of it."

Notable

• USF's 24-point win is the largest margin of victory by either side in the War On I-4 series since the Bulls recorded a 29-point win over UCF in 2015.
• The Bulls have won three straight home games over UCF and improve to 25-19 all-time in the series.
• USF improves to 6-3 this season when outrebounding its opponent.
• Chaplin has scored in double digits in five straight games.
• Mark Calleja (Hudson) sank a pair of free throws late in the game for his first points of the season.
• Lamont Evans IV (Hollywood), a true freshman, saw his first game action of the season.

Up Next

The Bulls head back on the road to face No. 5 Houston for the second time in three weeks on Tuesday, January 18. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas.

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, 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.

– #GoBulls –