WICHITA, Kan. (February 12, 2022) – Corey Walker Jr. (Jacksonville) produced a career game for the University of South Florida (7-16, 2-9 AAC) on Saturday night in a 73-69 setback at Wichita State University (13-9, 4-6 AAC). Walker set new career highs in points (9), rebounds (11) and blocks (4) while adding a pair of steals.

South Florida went 7-18 (38.9%) for its best three-point shooting effort of the season. Wichita State went 11-28 (39.3%) from downtown, including a pair of late triples to seal the victory.

Javon Greene (McDonough, Ga.) and Caleb Murphy (Youngstown, Ohio) scored 15 apiece for USF.

"I'm really proud of the effort tonight on the road – our guys spilled everything they had out on that court tonight. We just came up a little short," said head coach Brian Gregory. "That's the toughness and intensity it takes to compete in this league. We've done it for three games in a row over a really tough stretch of games. There's still just some plays we need to make and finish to be able to come out on the right side."

The Bulls trailed by as many as 12 points, 20-8, at the midway point of the first half before going on a 9-0 run to close the gap. Walker Jr. sparked the run with a put-back layup, DJ Patrick (Powder Springs, Ga.) followed with a three-pointer and Murphy slashed through the lane for two straight buckets.

While the offense was clicking, the Bulls also clawed back into the game by switching to a zone defense to slow the home team.

Walker Jr. tallied seven points and seven rebounds in just nine minutes during the opening half.

"Corey played with great energy; he did all the little things while he was out there. I was very pleased," Gregory added. "The sky is the limit for him. He's a very talented player."

USF trailed at halftime, 34-30, and saw the Shockers' lead grow to seven points in the second half before putting together a 14-2 run, including 11-unanswered points to take its first lead of the night.

Russel Tchewa (Douala, Cameroon) completed a three-point play at the free throw line in the opening minutes of the second frame, and Green followed with two straight baskets from beyond the arc. Jamir Chaplin (Norcross, Ga) capped the run with a fastbreak dunk for a 41-37 USF lead, but was injured on the play and did not return for the remainder of the contest.

"We had three or four poor offensive possessions when Jamir went out," Gregory noted. "He means a lot to this team and it's tough to see him go down, but we have to be able to overcome that."

After the Shockers reclaimed the lead, Tchewa knocked down a pair of free throws to knot the score at 59-59 with 3:24 left to play. Wichita State answered with three-pointers on their next two possessions and never relinquished its advantage.

Notable

• Walker Jr.'s 11 rebounds are a single-game high by any USF player this season.
• Tchewa scored in double digits for the third time in four games.
• Sam Hines Jr. added five points and a career-best five assists.
• The Bulls' seven three-pointers matched the team's total from the last four games combined.

Up Next

The Bulls continue their stretch of six games in 13 days with three straight home games next weekend. First up is Tulane on Tuesday, February 15 at the Yuengling Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

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.

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