ORLANDO (February 22, 2023) – In perhaps the final meeting in the near future on the hardwood between the University of South Florida Bulls and UCF Knights, the teams produced an instant classic on Wednesday night. South Florida prevailed with an 82-75 win at Addition Financial Arena to sweep the War On I-4 season series over rival UCF.

It is the first season sweep for the Bulls over the Knights since the 1992-93 season. The heated battle featured four technical fouls called on Wednesday and an equal number of highlight reel dunks by Keyshawn Bryant, who finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot.

"That was a physically and emotionally draining game," said head coach Brian Gregory. "There were so many different heroes and big moments, and we made the plays down the stretch to come away with a big win. I really liked the way our defense played over the final eight minutes, and we kept our composure the best you can in a game like that. We've been so close in so many of our losses this year, and we haven't really had that 'grind it out win' until tonight and it sure feels good."

The Bulls went on an 8-2 run over the final three minutes of the first half with bookend three-pointers by Tyler Harris and Jamir Chaplin to carry a 48-40 advantage into the locker room.

USF shot 63 percent in the first half and 56 percent from downtown (5-9). UCF started out the game red-hot from beyond the three-point arc, knocking down seven of its first 11 attempts, but never built more than a four-point lead over the Bulls. USF took the lead for good with 4:10 remaining in the first half on a jumper by Selton Miguel and never relinquished it in the second half.

Ryan Conwell and Harris sank back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half which staked the Bulls to their biggest lead of the night, 54-40, but the game was far from over at the 18:43 mark.

All four technical fouls were whistled in the second half as the fast-paced game action and rowdy crown fueled the emotions of the bitter rivals.

UCF cut its deficit to 64-62 with 9:24 on the clock, but Bryant knocked down a triple on USF's ensuing possession to slow the home team's momentum.

Harris fouled out of the game with 7:48 remaining and a scoring drought followed on both sides that extended for nearly three minutes until Conwell hit a pair of free throws for the Bulls to pad the lead to 70-65.

The Knights made it a one-point game, 72-71, with 1:27 left on the clock before Conwell hit the dagger for USF from three-point range.

The Bulls then went 7-for-8 from the free throw line to ice the game, including a 4-for-4 effort by Serrel Smith Jr.

"I can't say enough about Serrel coming off the bench in the final 30 seconds after not playing all night, and knocking down those free throws," Gregory said. "That shows you the kind of character and discipline he has to stay locked in all night and make the most of his opportunity to help us win a game."

Russel Tchewa, who did not start the game and has been under the weather the past two days, had a big blocked shot in the final minute of the game to prevent UCF from making a late rally. Tchewa finished the game with six points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Notable

• The Bulls dominated the glass, 47-26.
• USF's bench outscored UCF's reserves, 41-8.
• Wednesday was USF's first win at UCF since February 5, 2014 (79-78, OT).
• Conwell and Miguel finished the game with 14 points apiece for USF.
• Conwell went 4-for-5 from downtown to match his career best from three-point range which he set last Saturday vs. Tulane while scoring a career-best 20 points.
• Miguel dished out a team-high five assists.
• Harris finished the night with 13 points and went 3-for-5 from three-point land.
• Harris needs six more three-pointers to set a new USF single-season record (88 – Derrick Sharp, 1991-92).

Up Next

The Bulls return to Tampa to begin their final two-game homestand of the season against SMU on Saturday, February 25. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Yuengling Center.

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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