TAMPA (February 1, 2023) – The University of South Florida Bulls (10-13, 3-7 AAC) built a 14-point halftime lead over ECU 11-12 (2-8 AAC) on Wednesday night at the Yuengling Center and prevailed with a 71-63 triumph to sweep the season series from the Pirates.

The evening also included a celebration and the return of Arthur Jones (1971-74), who was the first African American student-athlete in USF history. Jones, and his family shared a pregame meal with the team, the Bulls wore warmup shirts with Jones' name and No. 24 on the back, and honored him at halftime with a letterman jacket, along with a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for him and his mother who share the special day.

"We've had a lot of great moments in the history of this program, but to bring Arthur back, and have him spend time with our players, and share his story, that's really powerful," said head coach Brian Gregory.

South Florida's current No. 24 on the court, Jamir Chaplin, matched a career high with 17 points in the win. Tyler Harris poured in 21 points and Russel Tchewa tallied his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

It was a 13-point run into halftime that staked the Bulls to a 44-30 advantage at the break. USF extended that scoring run to 17-unaswered points in the opening minutes of the second half as Chaplin went on to score the first nine points of the new period for the Bulls.

South Florida maintained a double-digit lead until the 1:08 mark of the second half before the pesky Pirates suddenly cut their deficit to 68-61 in the final minute of play, but the Bulls were able to secure the win with some big defensive stops and clutch free throws until the final whistle.

"We played 30 minutes of really good basketball," Gregory said. "We had some turnovers in the opening minutes, and lost focus a little bit in the final few minutes of the game, but we made enough plays to get the job done. I thought we played with good energy and activity, and really moved the ball well on the offensive end late in the first half. It's a good win for us, but we still have plenty of room for improvement."

Corey Walker Jr. pulled down a season-high nine rebounds for the second straight game and tallied a season-best three blocks, including one late in the game as ECU was making its frantic rally.

Notable

• Harris went 5-for-10 from downtown for the second straight game, and is now just three three-pointers away from setting a new AAC career record (265 – Christian Vital, UConn, 2016-20); 19 away from a new USF single-season record (88 – Derrick Sharp, 1991-92).
• Harris has recorded seven 20-point games this season, and knocked down at least five three-pointers nine times.
• Tchewa posted his fifth double-double in the last 11 games (eighth career).
• Selton Miguel matched a season high with six assists (fourth time).
• Freshman Ryan Conwell logged seven points and three assists.

Up Next

The Bulls will be off until next Wednesday, February 8 when the Memphis Tigers come to Tampa for a 7 p.m. tilt.

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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