The USF Bulls made it two wins in a row Saturday afternoon, beating the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 93-78 to get their second win in conference play this season.
This was a statement win on the road for the Bulls, and their second win this season over a Quad-1 opponent. The Bulls defeated Utah State for a huge Quad-1 win in December, and now they have their second Quad-1 win against a conference opponent in Tulsa. That is the most wins for the Bulls over a Quad-1 opponent since the 2023-24 season.
The Bulls were ready from the opening tip, dictating the pace of play and being the much more physical team. Wes Enis opened the scoring for the Bulls to put USF up 3-0, and that would be the first of his eight three-pointers in the first half as the Bulls would extend that lead to 23-9 later on. Enis would also nail a three-pointer to close out the half for the Bulls and send them to the locker room with a 51-36 lead. He finished the first half with 24 points on eight three-pointers as the Bulls built a 15-point halftime lead. Enis scored just three points in a win over North Texas on Wednesday night.
The Bulls also had an 8-1 advantage on the offensive boards and scored 13 points off Tulsa turnovers. USF had an overall 23-9 advantage on the boards and outscored Tulsa 9-0 in second-chance points.
In the second half, the Bulls continued to out-physical Tulsa and maintained their dominance on the boards. The closest Tulsa would get to USF was 76-69, but the Bulls went on a 17-9 run to close out the game and come away with the 93-78 win.
Enis would finish the game with 32 points, tying his own program record with 10 three-pointers Enis became the first player in AAC history to have two games with double-digit three-point shots made.
The record-setting performance was not lost on USF coach Brian Hodgson. “He’s a tough, tough kid,” he said. “I’m really proud of him, man. He put us on his back in that first half.”
Enis had some help as Joe Pinion, Isiah Jones, and Adriel Nyorha all assisted in the three-point barrage in the USF road win. As a team, the Bulls made 16 three-pointers, the second-most in program history. They also attempted 42 three-pointers in the game, another program record.
Izaiyah Nelson continued his monster season, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, his 12th double-double of the season. He has now recorded a double-double in six straight games.
With the win, the Bulls improve to 10-6 and are now 3-1 in conference play.
The Bulls return home for two conference games this week. USF tips-off against East Carolina Wednesday night before hosting Wichita State on Sunday afternoon.