It was an extraordinary night at the Yuengling Center as the USF Bulls hosted their first home game against Arkansas Pine Bluff.
Before the tipoff, there were two special moments. The Bulls renamed the USF student section the Amir Abdur-Rahim student section.
Following renaming the student section, the Bulls gathered at center court. With their championship trophy proudly on display, the Bulls raised their 2023-24 AAC regular season championship banner.
Although the arena was only half full, the crowd was loud and raucous, ready to cheer on the Bulls.
This was the Bulls home opener for the 2024-25 season and first home game under interim head coach Ben Fletcher.
The Bulls had previously suffered two road losses to Florida and Charleston to begin the season.
It was a quick start for the USF Bulls as they quickly built a 15-6 lead at the 15:23 mark of the first half.
Also, at the 15:23 mark, a little pushing and shoving ensued, which caused the ejection of APB player Zack Reinhart and two USF players.
The Bulls quickly increased their lead to 27-11 with 10:36 to play in the first half, led by Kobe Knox, who scored 11 points in the first half.
For a while, it looked as if the Bulls would live and die by the three-point shot. In the first half, the Bulls shot just 5/19 from three-point range and 45 percent from the field.
Sawyer led Arkansas Pine Bluff with 16 in the first half as the Bulls built a 50-34 halftime lead.
The Bulls picked up right where they left off in the first half, taking the lead to 55-35 within the first two minutes of the second half.
Arkansas Pine Bluff slowly worked their way back and trailed 62-47 with 11:35 to go in the game
It remains to be seen, but it looks like this USF team will be a rebounding machine. They finished the game with 37 after getting just 32 against Florida and 37 against Charleston.
De’Ante Green was a beast on the boards for USF, with 16 rebounds, 10 of which were on the defensive end.
Arkansas Pine Bluff cut the deficit from 25 early in the first half to 11 with 3:54 to go in the game. However, USF held on and got its first win of the season, 85-69.
Kobe Knox and Jayden Reid led the way for the Bulls with 16 points, while Brandon Stroud Added 15 for USF.
It was a rough night for USF from the three-point line as they shot a dismal 23.5 percent. Overall, the Bulls shot 27/69, for 39.1 percent.
Coach Fletcher discussed the three-point shooting. His assessment was that the threes were good looks; the shots just weren’t falling.
He also talked about how the two Bulls players who were thrown out of the game really affected his bench and the moves he could make.
Three Bulls played over 30 minutes, and that’s almost unheard of in college basketball. Jayden Reid and Kasen Jennings played 33 minutes, while Jayden Reid played 32 minutes.
For now, we can’t be too critical. They had two challenging road games to open the season, and as coach Fletcher said, it’s nice to get that first win, especially at home.
The Bulls’ first win under Ben Fletcher improves their record to 1-2 on the season. They will be back in action on Friday night when they host West Georgia.