Tulsa, Okla. (March 9, 2024) – Kasean Pryor tied a career-high 29 points and brought down 11 rebounds, but the No. 24 University of South Florida men’s basketball team dropped a tough one on the road against Tulsa. The Bulls finished with three players in double digits but fell to the Golden Hurricane 76-70.
With the loss, USF fell to 23-6 overall and 16-2 in AAC play, while Tulsa improved to 16-14 overall and 7-11 in conference games.
After the Golden Hurricane scored the game’s opening points, the Bulls went on a 10-3 run. Kasean Pryor accounted for five of the USF points as South Florida held a 10-5 lead at the first media timeout.
Four different Bulls scored from the field over the next 4:19 of play as South Florida extended its 18-11. The Golden Hurricane outscored the Bulls 8-6 over the next four minutes of play and cut the USF lead to 24-19, with 7:01 left until the half.
South Florida picked up the intensity and went on a 9-2 run. Pryor hit his second 3-pointer of the game as the Bulls extended their lead to 33-21 with just under four minutes left until the half. Tulsa ended the half on a 10-4 run and cut the South Florida lead to 37-31 at the break.
The second half started as a back-and-forth battle as the Bulls held a 43-36 lead with 15:50 left in regulation. The Golden Hurricane outscored the Bulls 12-8 and cut the USF lead to 51-48 with 11:36 left on the clock. Tulsa followed with an 8-1 run, six points coming from PJ Haggerty, as TU took a 56-52 lead with 8:08 left in regulation. Cobe Williams added a 3-pointer to extend the Tulsa lead to 59=52 at the under-8 media timeout.
Tulsa outscored South Florida 6-4 over the next four minutes. The Golden Hurricane held the Bulls to no field goals for 8:10 of game time and extended the TU lead to 65-56 at the last media timeout.
The Bulls held the Golden Hurricane to no field goals for the final 3:34 of play, but USF was unable to come back and tie the game. South Florida pulled within three, 70-67, with 1:20 left in the game, but Tulsa held on for a 76-70 victory.
Pryor tied a career-high with 29 points and brought down 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. He added one steal and one assist. Chris Youngblood finished with 12 points, two assists, and one rebound. Selton Miguel closed out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. He collected four rebounds with three assists and two steals.
The USF bench was strong again as it outscored the TU bench 20-6.
Haggerty led Tulsa with a career-high 32 points. He brought down seven rebounds with five assists and two steals. Cobe Williams was the only other player in double figures but had 23 points. Williams added 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Notables
· Kasean Pryor tied a career-high with 29 points and brought down 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. He added one steal and one assist.
· Chris Youngblood finished with 12 points, two assists, and one rebound.
· Selton Miguel closed out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. He collected four rebounds with three assists and two steals.
Next Up
The Bulls begin the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday, March 15, in Fort Worth, Texas. South Florida, the No. 1 seed, will play the winner of the No. 9 seed and No. 8 seed matchup at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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The South Florida men’s basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim’s Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
USF has retired three numbers in its history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30), and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
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