USF extends conference win streak record against Tulsa
USF men’s basketball extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 69-50 victory on Wednesday night against Tulsa.
It’s the Bulls’ (17-5, 11-1 AAC) longest winning streak in conference play in program history. They surpassed the record set during the 1982-83 season.
Their 11 wins in conference play are second in program history behind the 2011-12 team that made the NCAA tournament. The Bulls won 12 conference games that year as a member of the Big East conference.
USF built its streak on late-game comebacks, trailing in the second half in seven of its last nine contests. This was not the case against the Golden Hurricane (12-12, 3-9 AAC).
Related: USF men’s basketball considered for Top 25 poll
The Bulls led for 37 minutes against Tulsa. South Florida only trailed for 57 seconds when it was down 4-2 with just over 18 minutes left in the first half.
A USF 12-2 scoring run, which ended with a three from redshirt sophomore guard Kobe Knox, helped the team take a double-digit lead 16-4.
Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim said that Wednesday’s game was one of the Bulls’ best defensive performances of the season.
USF held Tulsa to 35.7% field goal shooting on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane’s offense averaged 76.1 points per game coming into the game.
“I thought it was that way because we came out and we were trusting like our defense to give us energy instead of our offense to give us energy,” Abdur-Rahim said.
USF built its first-half lead by making threes. The Bulls made 13 of their 24 attempts on Wednesday, nine in the first half alone.
The Bulls had three players score in double digits.
Knox scored a team-high 14 points from the field and junior forward Kasean Pryor followed with 12 points. Pryor corralled in 11 rebounds and five assists for his seventh double-double of the season.
Senior guard Selton Miguel added 10 points off the bench.
Still, Abdur-Rahim said there was room for improvement. The Bulls turned the ball over 15 times. He pointed out that many of them were unforced.
“That’s something we got to clean up,” Abdur-Rahim said. “Because if they can force 15 turnovers on our home floor, what do you think they’re gonna do on their home floor?”
The Bulls will need to clean up the turnovers when they face No. 24 FAU in front of a sold out Yuengling Center crowd on Sunday.
Related: USF men’s basketball is surging as FAU matchup nears. So is its attendance.
The Owls (19-5, 9-2 AAC) made the NCAA Final Four last year and are a game behind the Bulls in the conference standings.
“This group of guys, they’ve put themselves in a position to play in special games and to do something special,” Abdur-Rahim said. “So we need a special crowd, which I know we’ll have on Sunday.”
The Bulls host No. 25 FAU at noon on Sunday in the Yuengling Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and BullsUnlimited Radio.
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