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HOOPS USF Men’s Basketball Battles for Gritty Win Against Stetson

Kelly Quinlan

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Jul 10, 2006
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Jayden Reid has a career night as South Florida remains undefeated at home for the 2024-25 season



TAMPA, Fla. (December 3, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team returned to the Yuengling Center for an in-state contest with Stetson on Tuesday. The Bulls (5-3) defeated the Hatters (1-7) behind a career performance by Jayden Reid.



Reid recorded a career-high 23 points, his fourth game in double figures this season. He knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers. He has led the team in scoring for the last three games. De’Ante Green finished with a season-best 13 points, one shy of tying a career-high. Kobe Knox scored in double digits for the fifth time this season with 12 points. The Bulls are 13-1 all-time when Knox posts a double-digit scoring performance. South Florida extended its streak to 28 games with at least 25 rebounds and 10 assists.



The Hatters scored the game’s first points, but Reid outscored Stetson 5-4, and Kasen Jennings added a 3-pointer to give South Florida the 8-4 lead at the first media timeout. Brandon Stroud dove on the ground for a loose ball on the defensive end, which led to the transition 3-pointer for Jennings.



The Bulls and Hatters battled for the next 4:30. Reid and Green combined for nine points, Reid five and Green four, as USF held a 17-11 lead at the second media timeout. South Florida started to pick up the defensive intensity, which led to multiple transition baskets. Knox poked the ball away from the Stetson. CJ Brown collected the loose ball and passed it to Knox for the two-handed slam. South Florida held a 21-18 lead with 7:21 left in the opening stanza.



The two sides continued to battle in a back-and-forth effort for the remainder of the first half. Reid hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer as South Florida outscored Stetson 14-11 and took a 35-29 lead into the break.



Reid scored 13 points at the break, including a 3-for-4 effort from 3-point range. USF notched eight steals in the first half, which is one shy of tying a season game-high nine steals. The Bulls forced 10 turnovers and limited their turnovers to five.



Stetson opened the second half outscoring South Florida 9-7, but the Bulls still held a 42-38 lead. USF answered with a 15-8 run to extend its lead to 57-46. During that stretch, Reid found Green for a two-handed dunk.



Brown recorded a steal and took it the distance for an easy dunk to start a 10-4 run for the Bulls. South Florida held a 67-50 lead with just under eight minutes left to play.



The Hatters went on an 11-0 run and cut the Bulls’ lead to 68-61 with 2:01 left in regulation. The two sides combined for 17 points in the final two minutes. Stetson ended the game outscoring South Florida 11-6, but the early USF lead was too much to overcome. The Bulls claimed a 74-72 victory.



South Florida tallied a season-best 12 steals. It was the first time the Bulls recorded 10 or more steals since March 15, 2024, against East Carolina in the AAC Tournament. The South Florida bench outscored the Stetson bench 25-12. The Bulls capitalized on 25 points off turnovers. USF finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range.



Jamille Reynolds collected a game-high nine rebounds. It was his sixth game leading the team in rebounds. He added two more blocked shots to move his season total to 10. Reid dished out a season-high eight assists. Knox and Jennings tied for a game-high with three steals each.



Mehki Ellison led Stetson with 19 points. Josh Massey added 18 points, while Tristan Gross finished with 11. Abramo Canka and Treyton Thompson tied with a team-best eight rebounds. Massey paced the Hatters with four assists.



Notables

· Jayden Reid led USF in scoring for the third-straight game with a career-high 23 points, his fourth game in double figures this season. He knocked down a career-high four 3-pointers.

· De’Ante Green finished with a season-best 13 points, one shy of tying a career-high.

· Kobe Knox recorded his fifth game of the season in double figures with 12 points.

· USF is 13-1 when Kobe Knox scores in double digits.

· South Florida extended its streak to 28 games with at least 25 rebounds and 10 assists.



Up Next

The Bulls are back on the road for a trip up north to Illinois on Saturday, December 7. South Florida is set to battle Loyola Chicago at 12:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
 
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