MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (November 21, 2024) – The University of South Florida men's basketball team opened the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Thursday with a matchup against Portland.
Kobe Knox scored a team-high 13 points as the Bulls defeated the Pilots 74-68.
With the victory, South Florida improved to 3-2 on the season, while Portland fell to 2-3. Knox led the Bulls with 13 points.
Brandon Stroud posted an 11-point performance.
CJ Brown and
Jamille Reynolds both finished with 10 points.
The Pilots opened the game by hitting five 3-pointers and took a 16-5 lead with 15:29 left in the first half.
The Bulls were unfazed and scored the game's next seven points. During the run, Stroud accounted for five of those points. South Florida cut the deficit to 16-12.
Quincy Ademokoya and
Kasen Jennings hit back-to-back 3-pointers and pulled the Bulls within one, 19-18. The Pilots held a 22-20 lead with 8:00 left until the break.
The Bulls outscored the Pilots, 7-5, over the next 4:30 of play. Knox intercepted a pass and took it the distance for a dunk in transition. His dunk tied the game at 27-27.
The USF defense was stout and held the UP offense to just one field goal for the remainder of the half. The Bulls ended the half on an 11-6 run and took a 38-33 lead into the break.
After Portland scored the second half's first three points, South Florida answered with back-to-back 3-pointers from Knox and Jennings, which forced the Pilots to take a timeout. The Bulls held a 44-36 lead with 16:08 left in regulation.
South Florida extended its lead to 53-42 with 11:23 left to play. During the USF 9-6 run,
De'Ante Green recorded a putback dunk to get the bench hyped.
The Pilots went on an 8-2 run and cut the Bulls' lead to 55-50.
Jimmie Williams recorded the game's next four points, including a steal that led to a fastbreak dunk.
Portland went on an 11-4 run to cut the South Florida lead to 63-61 with 3:46 left in the game.
South Florida was resilient and held Portland to just one field goal over the final 3:46 of play. The Bulls outscored the Pilots 11-7 to close out the game. South Florida went on to win 74-68.
Reynolds, Stroud, and Knox all collected six rebounds each. Stroud led the team with four assists. Brown had a team-high two steals.
Max Mackinnon had a game-high 17 points for Portland. Vincent Delano added 14 points, while Austin Rapp had 11. Mackinnon and Rapp both went for a game-high eight rebounds.
Notables
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Kobe Knox produced a team-high 13 points, his third game in double figures.
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Brandon Stroud notched his third game of the year in double figures with 11 points.
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CJ Brown collected his third game in double digits with 10 points.
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Jamille Reynolds recorded 10 points, his third game in double figures.
· South Florida has had four or more players score in double figures for the fourth time in five games.
Up Next
The Bulls are back for day two of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday, November 22. South Florida will take on Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
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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