BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (January 7, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team took to the road for the first time in American Athletic Conference play for a game at UAB on Sunday. Selton Miguel and Chris Youngblood led the Bulls with 17 points each, but USF fell to UAB 75-71.
 
The Bulls fell to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in AAC play, while the Blazers improved to 10-5 overall and 2-0 in league play.
 
The Blazers scored the first bucket of the game, but the Bulls took a 3-2 lead on a Kobe Knox and-1 opportunity. USF extended its lead to 9-6 with 17:09 left in the half on a Selton Miguel 3-pointer.
 
UAB scored four unanswered and took a 10-9 lead with 14:25 left until the break. After the score was tied 11-11, the Bulls rattled off five straight points and took a 16-11 lead. The Blazers were able to come back and tie it at 18-18 with 9:20 to play in the half.
 
The two sides continued to battle back and forth. The Blazers were able to take a 34-27 lead with 2:31 left until the break. The Bulls were unfazed and cut the deficit to one, 36-35, at the half. Jayden Reid found Kobe Knox for a corner 3-pointer during USF's 8-3 run to end the half.
 
UAB opened the second half by scoring the first four points of the stanza. The Bulls were resilient and battled back to tie the game at 44-44 with 14:19 left in regulation. The Blazers managed to extend a lead to five, 52-47, with just over 11 minutes left in the stanza.
 
South Florida continued to battle and cut the deficit to two, 54-52, as Jose Placer knocked down a jumper. During the USF comeback, Selton Miguel drained a 3-pointer.
 
UAB went on an 8-0 and extended its lead to 62-52 with 8:42 left to play. After a UAB free throw, the Bulls went on an 11-1 run and tied the game at 63-63 with just over five minutes left to play. The Blazers held a one-point lead, 66-65 lead at the under-four media timeout. The final 3:22 continued to be a battle but UAB outscored USF 8-6 and claimed a 75-71 victory.
 
 
Chris Youngblood tied for a team-high 17 points. It was his 10th game in double figures. He added five rebounds and two steals. Selton Miguel finished with 17 points, his 11th game in double figures and his ninth straight. He added three blocks, two rebounds, and one steal. Kobe Knox notched a 10-point performance, his fourth game in double digits, to go along with five rebounds.
 
Yaxel Lendeborg recorded a game-high 23 points and brought down a game-high 15 rebounds for a double. Alejandro Vasquez added 17 points, one rebound, one assist, and one blocked shot. Efrem Johnson closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points with four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. As a team, the Blazers scored 30 points off free throws for the game.
 
Notables
· Chris Youngblood tied for a team-high 17 points. It was his 10th game in double figures. He added five rebounds and two steals.  
· Selton Miguel finished with 17 points, his 11th game in double figures and his ninth straight. He added three blocks, two rebounds, and one steal.  
· Kobe Knox notched a 10-point performance, his fourth game in double digits, to go along with five rebounds.
 
Next Up
The Bulls return to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center on Friday, Jan. 12. South Florida takes on Rice at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
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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