USF overcomes offensive slump, rallies to beat Tulsa

Freshman guard CJ Brown attempts a shot against Tulsa Saturday. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

A barely audible chorus of boos could be heard in the Yuengling Center when guard Jayden Reid’s three-point shot hit the back rim and into the waiting arms of a Tulsa defender.

It was Reid’s sixth miss from deep with just over eleven minutes to play in the second half. The Bulls made just two of their 16 three-point attempts in the game. 

Minutes later, it would be Reid hyping up the crowd as the Bulls would rally from a 10-point deficit with five minutes left to beat Tulsa 63-56 on Saturday. 

“We never really want to come back, but for these guys to show the grit they showed and lead the charge in a comeback is fun to see,” interim coach Ben Fletcher said. 

The Bulls may have gone on a 19-2 run during that five minute stretch, but it wasn’t all that pretty getting there. 

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USF shot 35% from the floor, and an abysmal 11% from three. 

Tulsa (8-10, 2-3 AAC) led by five at the half, and led all the way until a layup by forward Kobe Knox gave the Bulls the one point advantage. 

Reid himself had a pedestrian outing, making only two of 11 shot attempts. Freshman guard CJ Brown scored a career-high 16 points, including a crucial steal and layup that put the Bulls up by four. 

Brown said the Bulls (10-8, 3-2 AAC) weren’t even fazed by the deficit. 

“Just the guys on the bench, when we were in the game in crunch time, telling us to keep fighting, keep fighting,” Brown said.

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The win ended a two-game slide for the Bulls, including a failed comeback attempt versus UAB on Wednesday when the Bulls cut a 20-point lead to just six. 

Fletcher said the Bulls’ work came into fruition on Saturday. 

“Man, a lot of things didn’t go our way, they never hung their head,” Fletcher said. “You guys have heard me say, and I’m going to keep saying it, but they’re a resilient bunch.” 

Men’s basketball will face Charlotte on the road at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.

Noah Vinsky, Sports Editor

Noah Vinsky is the sports editor for The Oracle. He’s a mass communications and psychology dual-major and started writing for The Oracle in the fall of 2022. His focus is on football, men’s basketball and the on-campus stadium development. Reach him at noahjosephvinsky@usf.edu

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