USF Press Release
TAMPA, Fla. (January 12, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center on Friday for an American Athletic Conference matchup with Rice on ESPNU. Kasean Pryor scored 27 points in the second half and finished with a career-high 29 points to lead the comeback victory for South Florida. The Bulls defeated the Owls 81-73.
With the win, South Florida improved to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the AAC, while Rice fell to 6-10 overall and 0-3 in league play. The Bulls came back from being down 12 points with 14:09 left on the clock, for their largest come-from-behind victory of the season.
Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. Pryor became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
The Bulls moved to 2-1 in AAC play, which is the best AAC start since the 2019-20 season. USF has started league play 2-1 three times in 11 seasons. South Florida moved to 8-2 in home games, which is the second-best home record to start a year in the last 11 seasons, behind the best home record of 9-1 in 2018-19. The Bulls started 8-2 at home during the 2019-20 campaign.
The Owls started the game on a 7-0 run, but Kobe Knox rattled off four unanswered points to cut the deficit to three, 7-4. After Mekhi Mason made a free throw, Selton Miguel knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, 8-7. Rice added a 3-pointer and took an 11-7 lead with 16 minutes left in the opening stanza.
South Florida outscored Rice 10-5 over the next 4:42 of play. Kasean Pryor blocked a shot on the defensive end and then hustled to the offensive end for a slam dunk to force Rice to burn a timeout. The Bulls led 17-16 with 11:19 left until the break.
The Owls went on a 12-0 run and took a 28-18 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
The Bulls answered with a 7-0 run, led by Chris Youngblood with five points, and cut the deficit to 28-24. The Owls went on a 6-2 run and extended their lead to 34-26 with 3:42 left in the half. Rice added a 4-0 run and extended its lead to 12 points, 40-28. Knox drained a 3-pointer before the buzzer and cut the deficit to 40-31 at the break.
Rice outscored South Florida 12-9 to start the second half. The Owls extended their lead to 52-40 at the first media timeout of the second half. The Bulls went on an 11-8 run and cut the deficit to nine, 60-51, with 11:36 left on the clock.
South Florida battled back and went on a 6-0 run. The Bulls held the Owls scoreless for 2:46 on the clock. USF cut the Rice lead to five, 62-57, with 7:58 left in the game. The Bulls went on a 7-4 run and cut the deficit to 66-64 with 4:15 left on the clock. Pryor capped off the run with a steal and a dunk in transition.
After Keanu Dawes made two free throws, Pryor scored all of USF’s six points for a 6-0 run. The Bulls took a 70-68 lead with 2:02 left in regulation. Pryor stayed hot for the Bulls on both ends of the court. He scored 19 of the last 22 USF points. South Florida went on to win it 81-73.
Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists. Miguel finished with 16 points. He added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists. Youngblood closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Sam Hines Jr. led the Bulls with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid tied for a team-high five assists.
The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
Max Fiedler led Rice with a double-double behind 19 rebounds and 17 points. Mekhi Mason led the Owls with 18 points. He added seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Alem Huseinovic finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Notables
· Kasean Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. Pryor became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
· Kasen Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists.
· Selton Miguel finished with 16 points, his 12th game in double figures and his 10th straight. He added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
· Kobe Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists.
· Chris Youngblood collected 12 points. It was his 11th game in double figures. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal.
· The Bulls moved to 2-1 in AAC play, which is the best AAC start since the 2019-20 season. USF has started league play 2-1 three times in 11 seasons.
· South Florida moved to 8-2 in home games, which is the second-best home record to start a year in the last 11 seasons, behind the best home record of 9-1 in 2018-19. The Bulls started 8-2 at home during the 2019-20 campaign.
· The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
Next Up
South Florida is back on the road for a pivotal matchup with Memphis on Thursday, Jan. 18. The Bulls and Tigers are slated for a 7 p.m. ET tip on either ESPN or ESPN2.
TAMPA, Fla. (January 12, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center on Friday for an American Athletic Conference matchup with Rice on ESPNU. Kasean Pryor scored 27 points in the second half and finished with a career-high 29 points to lead the comeback victory for South Florida. The Bulls defeated the Owls 81-73.
With the win, South Florida improved to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the AAC, while Rice fell to 6-10 overall and 0-3 in league play. The Bulls came back from being down 12 points with 14:09 left on the clock, for their largest come-from-behind victory of the season.
Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. Pryor became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
The Bulls moved to 2-1 in AAC play, which is the best AAC start since the 2019-20 season. USF has started league play 2-1 three times in 11 seasons. South Florida moved to 8-2 in home games, which is the second-best home record to start a year in the last 11 seasons, behind the best home record of 9-1 in 2018-19. The Bulls started 8-2 at home during the 2019-20 campaign.
The Owls started the game on a 7-0 run, but Kobe Knox rattled off four unanswered points to cut the deficit to three, 7-4. After Mekhi Mason made a free throw, Selton Miguel knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, 8-7. Rice added a 3-pointer and took an 11-7 lead with 16 minutes left in the opening stanza.
South Florida outscored Rice 10-5 over the next 4:42 of play. Kasean Pryor blocked a shot on the defensive end and then hustled to the offensive end for a slam dunk to force Rice to burn a timeout. The Bulls led 17-16 with 11:19 left until the break.
The Owls went on a 12-0 run and took a 28-18 lead at the under-eight media timeout.
The Bulls answered with a 7-0 run, led by Chris Youngblood with five points, and cut the deficit to 28-24. The Owls went on a 6-2 run and extended their lead to 34-26 with 3:42 left in the half. Rice added a 4-0 run and extended its lead to 12 points, 40-28. Knox drained a 3-pointer before the buzzer and cut the deficit to 40-31 at the break.
Rice outscored South Florida 12-9 to start the second half. The Owls extended their lead to 52-40 at the first media timeout of the second half. The Bulls went on an 11-8 run and cut the deficit to nine, 60-51, with 11:36 left on the clock.
South Florida battled back and went on a 6-0 run. The Bulls held the Owls scoreless for 2:46 on the clock. USF cut the Rice lead to five, 62-57, with 7:58 left in the game. The Bulls went on a 7-4 run and cut the deficit to 66-64 with 4:15 left on the clock. Pryor capped off the run with a steal and a dunk in transition.
After Keanu Dawes made two free throws, Pryor scored all of USF’s six points for a 6-0 run. The Bulls took a 70-68 lead with 2:02 left in regulation. Pryor stayed hot for the Bulls on both ends of the court. He scored 19 of the last 22 USF points. South Florida went on to win it 81-73.
Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists. Miguel finished with 16 points. He added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists. Youngblood closed out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal. Sam Hines Jr. led the Bulls with seven rebounds. Jayden Reid tied for a team-high five assists.
The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
Max Fiedler led Rice with a double-double behind 19 rebounds and 17 points. Mekhi Mason led the Owls with 18 points. He added seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Alem Huseinovic finished with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Notables
· Kasean Pryor tied a program record with 27 points in the second half. He set the USF record with 15 made free throws in a half. He finished the game with a free-throw percentage of .938 (15-of-16) and is now tied for the ninth-best performance from the line by a USF player. Pryor became the first Bulls player to make 15 free throws in a game since David Collins did it against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
· Kasen Pryor recorded a career-high 29 points. He posted a career-high 15 made free throws, a career-high five blocks, and a career-high five steals. He added two assists.
· Selton Miguel finished with 16 points, his 12th game in double figures and his 10th straight. He added four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
· Kobe Knox added a 15-point performance, his fifth game in double digits. He dished out two assists.
· Chris Youngblood collected 12 points. It was his 11th game in double figures. He brought down four rebounds to go along with four assists, two blocks, and one steal.
· The Bulls moved to 2-1 in AAC play, which is the best AAC start since the 2019-20 season. USF has started league play 2-1 three times in 11 seasons.
· South Florida moved to 8-2 in home games, which is the second-best home record to start a year in the last 11 seasons, behind the best home record of 9-1 in 2018-19. The Bulls started 8-2 at home during the 2019-20 campaign.
· The USF bench outscored the Rice bench 22-11. The South Florida bench has outscored its opponents in 12 of the 14 games on the season.
Next Up
South Florida is back on the road for a pivotal matchup with Memphis on Thursday, Jan. 18. The Bulls and Tigers are slated for a 7 p.m. ET tip on either ESPN or ESPN2.
