AMHERST, Mass. (December 2, 2023) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team stayed on the road for a matchup with UMass on Saturday.
Selton Miguel led South Florida with 16 points, but the Bulls (2-4) fell to the Minutemen (4-1) 66-56.
The Bulls came out of the gates strong and a defensive rebound by
Sam Hines Jr. led to a fastbreak slam for
Chris Youngblood for the game's first points.
After the opening basket, the game was a back-and-forth battle. UMass held an 11-9 lead with 11:35 left in the opening stanza. The two sides continued to trade baskets until the game was tied 16-16 with 8:03 left in the half.
The Minutemen outscored the Bulls 14-7 to close out the half and take a 30-23 lead at the break.
UMass scored the first points of the second half and went on an 8-4 run to take a 38-27 lead with 15:32 left in regulation. USF and UMass traded baskets over the next four minutes of play as the Minutemen held a 45-35 lead at the under-12 media.
The Minutemen extended their lead to 13, 49-36, with 7:30 left in regulation. The game turned into a free-throw contest over the next 2 minutes that saw USF outscore UMass 8-2 during that stretch. South Florida closed the deficit to 51-44 with 6:01 left to play.
UMass went on a 9-2 run and extended its lead to 14, 60-46, with just over three minutes left in regulation. The Bulls went on a 6-3 run on back-to-back 3-pointers by Miguel and cut the deficit to 63-52 with 1:20 left to play. USF outscored UMass 4-3 for the final 1:20 but fell 66-65.
Notables
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Selton Miguel tied for a team-high 16 points on 4-of-5 from 3-point range. His four 3-pointers tied a career-high.
·
Selton Miguel is the first USF player to lead the team in points, rebounds, and assists since
Jamir Chaplin did it against Houston on January 5, 2022.
· The South Florida bench has outscored the opponent's bench in every game this season, including 35-14 tonight.
Next Up
The Bulls return to action on Saturday, December 9, for the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Florida. South Florida battles Florida State at 1:30 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 South Florida men's basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim's Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
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. Season tickets for the 2023-24 USF men's basketball slate are on sale now. To purchase season tickets, click here.
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