TAMPA, Fla. (November 12, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team played inside the Yuengling Center for the first time of the season on Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Jayden Reid and
Kobe Knox both tallied 16 points, as five Bulls scored in double figures in the 85-69 victory against the Golden Lions.
Ben Fletcher picked up his first win as the interim head coach for South Florida.
De'Ante Green recorded his first career double-double with 14 rebounds and 10 points. The 14 rebounds were a career high. Reid tied a career-high with 16 points. Knox posted a season-high 16 points.
Brandon Stroud posted the most points for him in a USF uniform with 15.
Kasen Jennings closed out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.
With the win, South Florida improved to 1-2 on the season, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell to 1-3 on the year.
The Bulls opened the contest by scoring the game's first four points. Green knocked down a jumper. Stroud made a great defensive play to intercept a Golden Lions pass and went the distance for a slam.
UAPB tied it at 4-4 after four unanswered, but USF was unfazed and rattled off eight consecutive points to extend its lead to 12-4. With just under 12 minutes left in the half, the Bulls stretched their lead to 25-11.
With the Bulls ahead, 31-19, Knox scored nine consecutive points for South Florida and put USF on top, 40-23. During the run, he knocked down two 3-pointers.
The Golden Lions ended the half outscoring the Bulls, 11-10, but South Florida took a 50-34 lead into the break. It was the first time that USF scored 50 points in a half this season and the first time since the second half against UAB last season on March 16, 2024.
The second half started as a defensive battle, where the two squads combined for 13 points. South Florida held a 57-40 lead with 15:55 left until the end of regulation. The game stayed a 17-point lead, 69-52, with just under eight minutes to play.
The Golden Lions managed to pull within eight, 77-69, with 2:11 left on the clock. South Florida scored the final eight points of the game and won 85-69. Reid accounted for all eight of those points.
Reid dished out a game-high six assists, while Jennings and Knox both tallied four. As a team, the Bulls collected a season-high 47 rebounds. South Florida attempted 33 3-point field goals, which was one shy of tying a program record set against DePaul in 2019.
Dante Sawyer led UAPB with 24 points and tied for a team-high eight rebounds. Christian Moore was the only other player in double digits with 12 points. Moore dished out a team-best five assists.
Notables
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Ben Fletcher picked up his first win as the interim head coach for South Florida.
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De'Ante Green recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
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Jayden Reid tied a career-high with 16 points.
·
Kobe Knox posted a season-high 16 points.
·
Brandon Stroud posted the most points in a USF uniform with 15.
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Kasen Jennings closed out the double-digit scorers with 13 points.
· South Florida attempted 33 3-point field goals, which was one shy of tying a program record set against DePaul in 2019.
Up Next
South Florida remains at home for a Friday night matchup with West Georgia. The Bulls and Wolves are slated for a 7 p.m. on November 15 on ESPN+.
About USF Men's Basketball
The University of South Florida men's basketball, led by interim head coach Ben Fletcher, is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls enter their 2024-25 campaign, presented by Tampa General Hospital, on the heels of their best season in program history, in which they claimed their first-ever regular season conference title, won a record 25 games, and earned a Top 25 ranking for the first time in program history. A presence on the college basketball scene for more than five decades, South Florida has earned two conference titles and three NCAA tournament bids (1990, 1992, and 2012), appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
South Florida is wearing patches with the initials AAR this season in memory of their head coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim, who passed away in October 2024.
The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center, located on South Florida's Tampa campus.
Men's basketball single-game and season tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or by visiting USFBullsTix.com.
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