PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (January 25, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls (9-12, 2-6 AAC) erased a 10-point second half deficit to Temple (13-9, 7-2 AAC) on Wednesday night, but fell on the road in overtime, 79-76.

Keyshawn Bryant paced the Bulls with a season-high 21 points. Selton Miguel and Russel Tchewa scored 15 apiece, and Corey Walker Jr. tallied season highs in points (8) and rebounds (8).

The Bulls and Owls both entered the contest riding high. South Florida defeated rival UCF last time out and Temple upset then-No. 1 Houston on the road.

Trailing, 65-55 with 7:44 left in regulation, the Bulls battled back to tie the game with under two minutes remaining. USF had the ball twice in the final seconds of regulation Wednesday night and had a good look to tie the game at the buzzer in overtime, but the Owls held on for the victory.

"We didn't do a good job on the glass tonight or the free throw line," said head coach Brian Gregory. "We tightened things up for that eight-minute stretch in the second half, but we just didn't do enough to win on the road against a tough and talented Temple team. It's a heartbreaking loss, because we fought and battled back, but now we have to find a way to bounce back on Sunday."

It was a furious final minute of the first half that saw Bryant scored five straight points and Tyler Harris knot the score at 34-34 as time expired.

The Bulls erased an 5-0 deficit in the opening minutes with triples from Miguel and Jamir Chaplin, along with a bucket from Tchewa to rip off an eight-point run and claim the lead.

A put-back dunk by Walker Jr. with 9:10 on the clock broke an 18-18 tie and gave the Bulls the lead for the next five minutes, but it was a low-scoring affair with a plethora of turnovers from there.

With USF leading, 23-19, Temple broke a six-minute spell without a field goal to make it a two-point game with 6:41 left in the first half. The Bulls forced the Owls into five turnovers during that stretch.

The Owls retook the lead, 25-23, at the 3:55 mark after a span that saw USF commit five turnovers and go four-plus minutes without a field goal. Temple stretched its lead to 27-23 on an eight-point run before Serrel Smith Jr. broke the drought with a basket at the 3:07 mark.

The action picked up in the final minute of the half as Bryant scored five straight points for the Bulls, including one of his patented highlight dunks, and Harris scored his first points of the half with a three-pointer before the buzzer to knot the score at halftime, 34-34.

USF (9) and Temple (10) combined for 19 total turnovers over the first 20 minutes of play.

Both teams came out of the break with offensive surges, trading baskets on six straight possessions until Temple took a 43-41 lead at the 16:29 mark. The Owls held a tight lead from there before pulling in front by nine points, 60-51, with 10:44 on the clock.

Temple extended its lead to double digits, 65-55, with 7:44 left to play, but the Bulls continued to battle. USF scored eight-unanswered points to make it a 65-63 game with 4:20 remaining in the game.

USF went on to make six straight field goals, including three by Tchewa, and the center eventually tied the game at 70-70 with 1:42 on the clock after completing a three-point play at the free throw line.

Two possessions later on the defensive end, Tchewa came up with a steal to set up the USF offense with the ball and 35.2 seconds remaining, but the Bulls' hot shooting finally wanned and the game needed overtime to be decided.  

Temple scored the first five points of the extra period and USF's Selton Miguel answered with five of his own to tie the game once more at 75-75 with 1:55 on the clock. The Owls ultimately reclaimed the lead, 77-76, with 48 seconds left and sealed the game at the free throw line.

Notable

• Wednesday was USF's sixth loss this season by four points of less. 
• Bryant topped his previous scoring high of 19 points, set during the season opener on November 7th.
• The Bulls shot 38.1 percent (8-21) from the free throw line – their worst mark of the season.
• USF shot season-best 91 percent (20-22) from the charity stripe against UCF last Saturday.
• The game featured 11 times and six lead changes.
• Harris paced USF with six assists on the night.
• Harris needs 12 three-pointers to break the AAC career record and 29 to set a new USF single-season record.

Up Next

The Bulls wrap up their two-game road trip with a visit to SMU in Dallas 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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