Appears hell froze over last night in Memphis as the Bulls beat a ranked team for the first time since 2012 against Louisville. Senior guard Selton Miguel led SF scoring with 23 pts. photo by Don Mooney
by Don Mooney. 1-17-2024
Memphis, TN— After leading in every statistical category, including the score for most of the contest, Tigers found a way to lose to South Florida Thursday night in FedExForum 74-73 .
USF erased a 20-point deficit, which is the second-largest comeback in program history. The only time the Bulls came back from 20 or more was 25 against Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
Memphis led by 20 points on two different occasions: 34-14 in the first half and 52-32 early in the second. Everything seemed to be clicking, but that’s when the game flipped on its head.
The Bulls started the game on a 7-2 run capped off by a Youngblood 3-pointer. Memphis scored the game’s next four points, but South Florida held a 7-6 lead at the media timeout.
The Tigers went on a 15-3 run and took a 21-10 lead with 11:16 left in the first half. Memphis extended its lead with an 8-4 run and held a 29-14 lead at the under-eight media timeout. USF continued to battle, but the Tigers outscored the Bulls 11-10 and extended their lead to 40-24 with 3:44 left in the half.
South Florida outscored Memphis 8-7 to close out the first half. Selton Miguel notched all eight points for the Bulls. Memphis scored the first five points of the second half, but South Florida responded with six unanswered. Keasean Pryor and Kobe Knox knocked down a 3-pointer. The Bulls went on a 5-3 run and cut the deficit to 11, 54-43, at the first media timeout of the second half.
The Bulls rattled off a 12-5 run and cut the deficit to just four, 59-54, with 10:45 left in regulation. During the run, Miguel and Brandon Stroud each added five points.
The two squads continued to battle and traded baskets. It was a six-point game, 64-58, at the under-eight media timeout. The Bulls outscored the Tigers 8-5 and pulled within three points, 69-66. South Florida ended the game on an 8-4 run. Jayden Reid tied the game with a layup with 37 seconds left on the clock. Pryor gave the Bulls a 74-73 lead with four seconds left on the clock.
Jones led all scorers with 25 points, while Quinerly added 15 and Nae’Qwan Tomlin punched in 10 points and seven rebounds. USF led by Miguel Selton‘s 23 points and five three-pointers. Pryor contributed a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers hit the road once again, this time heading down to The Big Easy where they will take on Tulane Sunday at noon on ESPN2. The Bulls return to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center on Sunday, Jan. 21. South Florida hosts Wichita State at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.