TAMPA (January 21, 2023) – Tyler Harris posted his second 30-point effort in the last four games while playing in his first chapter of the War On I-4 to help lift the University of South Florida Bulls (9-11, 2-5 AAC) over the UCF Knights (13-6, 4-3 AAC) on Saturday afternoon at the Yuengling Center, 85-72.

Harris knocked down six three-pointers and went a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line to finish the day with a career-high 33 points. The fifth-year senior scored 31 at No. 1 Houston on January 11th.

South Florida led for over 34 minutes in the contest, but it was a fight to the finish as the teams battled back-and-forth, as the Bulls and Knights often do, until USF claimed a double-digit lead with five minutes left to play and never let up.

Sam Hines Jr. scored 11 points, including the first seven of the day for USF, with a three-pointer in the opening minutes and a pair of thunderous dunks that brought the crowd of 5,715 to their feet where they remained for the duration of the game.

Selton Miguel added 10 points and Russel Tchewa pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

"I've said it before, but this is as big of a rivalry game as I've been a part of in my career," said head coach Brian Gregory. "I have all the respect in the world for Coach Dawkins. UCF is a talented and physical team, but credit our guys for being up to the challenge. I'm proud of the way our guys responded after a letdown on Wednesday. It was a total team effort today. We were really good on the offensive glass, played great defense in the first half and moved the ball really well on offense in the second half. It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere today – we're thankful for the energy that SoFlo Rodeo has brought the last two games."

After Hines Jr. got the offense rolling in the opening minutes, the teams traded blows until a seven-point run with triples by Harris and Corey Walker Jr. staked USF to a 21-16 lead with 8:59 on the clock.

UCF continued to match USF up and down the court though, including a 50 percent clip (6-12) from downtown in the first half. The Bulls knocked down their final four attempts of the opening half to carry a 38-33 lead into the break.

A pair of free throws by Harris staked USF to the lead for good at the 17:41 mark of the second half, but it remained a two-possession game until the halfway point. With the Knights chipping away, Jamir Chaplin completed a three-point play at the charity stripe after a fastbreak layup to extend the Bulls' lead back to 48-43 with 13:50 on the clock.

Harris put the game away for good with his first of two consecutive three-pointers with 5:05 left on the clock to ultimately give USF a 75-62 lead with 4:41 left to play.

Notable

• Harris' 13 made free throws are the most without a miss in program single-game history.
• Harris also matched his career high with seven assists.
• The Bulls posted 19 total assists – third-most this season.
• USF won the rebounding battle, 41-30, including 15 offensive boards for 22 second-chance points.
• The Bulls shot a season-best 91 percent (20-22) from the free throw line.

Up Next

The Bulls open a two-game road trip at Temple on Wednesday, January 25 before visiting SMU on Sunday, January 29.           

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.

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