TAMPA (December 16, 2022) – The University of South Florida Bulls (5-6) opened a three-game homestand on Friday night by griding out a 59-55 victory over Dartmouth (4-9). South Florida has won three straight games and five of its last six overall.

The Bulls held the Big Green to a 1-for-14 effort from three-point range, but Dartmouth was able to stay in the game with a 14-for-14 effort from the free throw line. The teams were whistled for 17 fouls apiece on the night.

"A lot of credit to Dartmouth who played well and did some things matchup-wise to put us in foul trouble," said head coach Brian Gregory. "We wanted to take the three-point shot away from them tonight and we did a great job of defending the perimeter. Offensively, we weren't as sharp tonight. We took some quick and forced shots early in the shot clock at times, but we got out on the fastbreak well and finished at the rim."

It was a tight back-and-forth contest for the duration as neither side owned more than a three-possession lead. A pair of timely offensive rebounds by Corey Walker Jr. and Jamir Chaplin with under 90 seconds left to play, and two free throws by Tyler Harris with four seconds to go helped seal the USF win.

Harris finished the game with 10 points and a team-high four assists while also recording four rebounds and three steals. Russel Tchewa led the Bulls with 11 points and eight rebounds. Sam Hines Jr. added eight rebounds, six points and one blocked shot.

South Florida tallied a season-high eight blocks in the game. The Bulls collectively dished out 16 assists (23 field goals) and totaled 10 steals.

Notable

• Tchewa is shooting 80 percent from the field (25-31) over his last five games.
• The Bulls' 20 bench points on Friday matched their second-highest total of the season.

Up Next

The Bulls continue their homestand on Monday, December 19 against Hofstra at 7 p.m. in Tampa.      

Tickets are on sale now. Fans are encouraged to visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls to purchase tickets.

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 sixth season in 2022-23. 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 –