by Carter Brantley
Coming off a valiant effort against the ranked Florida Gators, USF traveled to the College of Charleston to take on the Cougars of the Colonial Athletic Conference.
They met a bitter defeat, falling 86-71 on the strength of a 53-point second half from the Cougars after USF kept things at a 1-point game in the first.
Big man Jamille Reynolds struggled with foul trouble, ending up fouling out of the game and limiting his playing time to 12 minutes, leading to Cougars Croatian big man Ante Brzovic to have a 34-point night on 12-20 shooting from the floor.
The Bulls’ inability to keep up with the Cougars’ size advantage proved to be a fatal flaw, as USF got fine performances from bench guard Quincy Ademokoya, a senior from Bloomington, Illinois, and starting senior guard Kasen Jennings, who also contributed 14 points with a trio of shots made from beyond the arc for the game.
The Cougars also received a big boost from another international recruit, with guard CJ Fulton from Ireland putting forth a 16-point effort on 4-6 shooting and his own share of 3-pointers, going 3-4 from deep.
USF simply couldn’t convert their chances, as the turnover and rebound battles were almost dead even and both teams committed exactly 23 personal fouls.
Their 37.3 shooting percentage was below the Cougars’ mark of 45% in the category, but the difference in the teams’ ability to take care of business at the free-throw line proved to be a difference maker as well, with the Bulls shooting 75% from the stripe compared to the Cougars’ 83.9% mark.
Despite a disappointing result in their 2nd game under interim coach Ben Fletcher, they get to host the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in the Bulls’ home opener on November 12th.
It’s a young season, and there’s plenty of time for the Bulls to settle in and adjust to their new head coach.
A talented squad filled with solid players, USF is expected to be very competitive in the American Conference again after taking home the regular season title last season under the late great Amir Abdur-Rahim.
