In a battle of two teams atop the AAC standings, the USF Bulls took control of first place in the conference with an 80-74 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in front of just over 4,000 fans at the Yuengling Center Sunday afternoon.
Tulsa came to Tampa riding a seven-game winning streak, having won its last seven by an average of 12 points. But the Bulls would send Tulsa home with just their fourth defeat of the season on Military Appreciation Day.
This was one of those rare games where USF had the lead from the opening tip to the closing buzzer in taking over first place in the AAC. Less than two minutes into the game, the Bulls had forced two Tulsa turnovers and built a 6-0 lead, which they would expand throughout the half. The Bulls’ defense forced Tulsa to miss its first six shots, as USF took a commanding 12-1 lead at the 15:54 mark of the first half and never trailed the rest of the game.
Tulsa did not sit back and let USF dictate the pace after the opening five minutes, though. The Golden Hurricane slowly began to crawl back into the game, and the Bulls’ lead evaporated to 28-24 with 7:12 to play in the half.
Relentless defensive pressure, intensity, forcing turnovers, and taking care of the basketball were all key factors in the Bulls’ quick start, which helped USF maintain control throughout the half. The Bulls would extend their lead to 35-26 after two Adriel Nyroha free throws. Tulsa would hang in there and cut the lead to four as USF led 39-35 at the half.
The Bulls had just one turnover in the first half while forcing eight Tulsa turnovers. However, USF was hammered on the boards 27-12 at the half and trailed 12-2 on the offensive glass. Wes Enis paced the Bulls with 13 points in the first half, while Joe Pinion and Izaiyah Nelson added 10 points each.
USF started the second half just like the first half, as they would go on an 8-0 run and push the lead back out to 12 at 47-35 with 18:33 to play in the half.
USF coach Bryan Hodgson talked about the importance of the Bulls’ quick starts in both halves. “It was big, and it wasn’t just the first half; it was the second half, too,” he said. “I told the guys in the locker room, ‘You come out, you punch a team in the mouth like that. That’s a blow. That’s demoralizing. And that can take the momentum out’”
Ada Popoola had the hot hand for Tulsa as he made three-pointers in 90 seconds to get Tulsa back in the game and tie the game at 49 apiece. That was as close as Tulsa would get as Pinion would hit his second three of the game, giving the Bulls a 52-49 cushion.
USF would go on a mini 6-0 run thanks to a couple of threes from Pinion and Nelson to put the Bulls up 58-49. The two teams continued trading baskets throughout the second half, with USF maintaining a 66-63 lead. Tulsa would make it a two-point game (68-66) on a Popoola 23-foot shot, but USF took back control of the game and was able to close out Tulsa 80-74.
USF guard C.J. Brown discussed whether this was a statement game for USF.
“For sure,” Brown said. “You know, we hold ourselves to a standard, and that was a standard to win a game, be number one, and just keep on working.”
Enis added, “I think also, like, leading for 40 minutes, that’s like, completing the game, you know, we led the whole time. So shows that we can finish a game from start to finish.”
Other Notes
- This was the 10th double-double this season from Iziyah Nelson as he finished the day leading the Bulls in scoring with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
- Wes Enis added 14 points and C.J. Brown added 10 in the USF win.
- It was another Quad-One win for the Bulls, their third of the season (two wins against Tulsa, and the win over Utah State in December).
- USF and Tulsa are both 8-3 in conference play, but USF holds the tiebreaker due to the two head-to-head wins.
Next Up
The Bulls are 16-8 overall on the season, and will now head out on the road next week for games at Wichita State on Wednesday night, and then next Sunday afternoon, USF will play at their cross-state rivals, FAU.