GREENVILLE, N.C. (January 25, 2025) – Kobe Knox and De'Ante Green were the only players in double digits for the University of South Florida men's basketball team against East Carolina on Saturday. The Bulls fell to the Pirates 64-55.
 
With the loss, South Florida fell to 10-10 overall and 3-4 in American Athletic Conference play. The Pirates improved to 12-9 overall and 4-4 in league games.
 
Knox recorded a game-high 17 points. It was his 11th game of the season in double digits. He finished the game 6-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Green tallied his sixth game in double figures with 11 points. Jimmie Williams led the Bulls with a career-high eight rebounds. He added eight points and recorded a team-high two steals. CJ Brown produced the only blocked shot for USF.
 
For the 15th time this season, the USF bench outscored the opponent's bench. The Bulls outscored the Pirates' bench 15-12. South Florida produced more points off turnovers, 13-7, and fastbreak points, 8-5. The Bulls finished the game shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range and 35.0 percent from the field. USF only shot four free throws for the game. The Bulls were held to just four free-throw attempts for the first time since February 5, 2017, against Temple. South Florida forced 14 turnovers and turned the ball over eight times.
 
The game started as a back-and-forth battle. Jayden Reid found Knox in transition for the fastbreak alley-oop.
 
The Pirates went on a 10-0 run and claimed a 13-5 lead. The Bulls were unfazed and answered with a 12-4 run to tie the game at 17-17 with just under seven minutes left in the first half. Knox and Brandon Stroud each knocked down a 3-pointer. USF held ECU to 1-of-9 from the field during the stretch.
 
The Pirates went into the half with a 31-28 lead. The Bulls finished the first stanza shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Williams collected a career-high six rebounds and had eight points in the first 20 minutes.
 
East Carolina extended their lead to 48-39 midway through the second half. South Florida's defense forced six turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Pirates stretched the lead to 17, their largest of the game, 61-44, with six minutes left to play. The Bulls fought until the final buzzer and closed the game on an 11-3 run. Unfortunately, the early deficit was too much to overcome as ECU went on to win 64-55.
 
The Pirates outrebounded the Bulls 48-27, which led to 14 second-chance points. CJ Walked led ECU with 15 points. He collected eight rebounds and added a game-high five assists. RJ Felton and Jordan Riley both finished with 12 points. Felton brought down 14 rebounds for a double-double. Riely and Cam Hayes tied with a team-best two steals.
 
Notables
· Kobe Knox recorded a game-high 17 points. It was his 11th game of the season in double digits. He finished the game 6-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
· Green tallied his sixth game in double figures with 11 points
· The Bulls' bench outscored the opponents for the 15th game of the season.
 
Up Next
The Bulls return to the Yuengling Center on Tuesday, January 28. South Florida welcomes Rice for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPNU.
 
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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