by Carter Brantley
On a brisk Wednesday night in Tampa, the USF Bulls took home an impressive 100-50 victory over the Coppin State Eagles.
The Bulls jumped out to a 30-point lead near the end of the 1st half, while they ended up taking a 49-23 lead into the break.
Their full-court press was in full effect, causing an eye-popping 11 turnovers.
USF was shooting nearly 50% from the field at the break, and managed 20 points off those 11 turnovers forced.
The team also rebounded from their cold shooting over the weekend versus George Washington, with Joseph Pinion leading the way.
The former Arkansas Razorback notched 21 points in the half, with many of those points coming via shots beyond the arc.
Big man Isaiyah Nelson also contributed mightily, but mostly on the defensive end.
While 6 boards and a block might sound like a relatively pedestrian stat line even for a single half, the senior also contributed a pair of steals and helped hold CSU to 12 points in the paint in that first half.
The 2nd half was mostly forgettable, as the Bulls attempted to get as many players involved as possible while extending their already impressive lead.
USF takes on Kennesaw State this Sunday for their next game.
The Owls are undefeated through their first 3 games but have yet to play a Division 1 program.
Last season ended in heart break, taking a narrow loss in the Conference USA semi-finals to Liberty University, 81-79.
South Florida continues to get into gear for not only their conference schedule, but the tough opponents they’ll face before then, headlined by Oklahoma State and the top-25 Alabama Crimson Tide.
While they were able to dominate the Eagles Wednesday night from the jump, it’ll be tough sledding against the stiffer competition that awaits.
But for now, the Bulls are 2-1 to start the season, with things looking up under new coach Bryan Hodgson.
