The University of South Florida men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center on Thursday for the American Athletic Conference opener against Temple.
Chris Youngblood led USF with 17 as four players finished in double digits on the way to a 76-68 victory.
With the win, the Bulls extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in AAC play. Temple fell to 7-7 overall and 0-1 in league games. South Florida improves to 15-32 in conference openers and 2-5 in AAC openers.
Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim became the first head coach in program history to win a season debut and a conference debut in their first season.
For the fifth time this season, the Bulls finished with four guys in double figures. Youngblood, Kobe Knox, Selton Miguel, and Jayden Reid all finished in double-digit points.
After neither team was able to score for the first two minutes of play, the Owls went on a 6-0 run to start the scoring. The Bulls were unfazed and answered with a 7-0 run which gave USF a 7-6 lead with 14:51 left in the first half. Temple followed with a 12-5 run and took an 18-12 lead into the under-10 media timeout.
Corey Walker Jr. and Miguel accounted for four points as South Florida and Temple traded baskets. The Owls held a 22-16 with 7:05 left until the break. USF was resilient and went on a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to just two, 24-22, with 3:41 left in the half.
Temple outscored South Florida, 4-3, to end the half, but the Bulls took a 32-28 lead into the break.
The Owls scored the first five points of the second half. The two sides traded baskets and Temple took a 38-36 lead with 14:56 left in regulation.
The Bulls outscored 7-6 over the next 2:53 of play and cut the deficit to 44-43. During the 2:53 of play, Hines recorded his second highlight dunk of the game.
From the under-16 media time out at 14:56 until 4:58 left in the game, USF went 11-for-11 from the field. The Bulls went on an 18-9 run and took a 61-53 lead with 7:24 left to play. During the run, South Florida knocked down four 3-pointers from Jayden Reid, Kobe Knox, Selton Miguel, and Youngblood.
Temple outscored South Florida 7-5 and cut the USF lead to six, 66-60, with 3:37 left in regulation. The Bulls closed out the game outscoring the Owls 10-8. Kasean Pryor recorded a steal and a fastbreak dunk to give USF a 76-67 lead with 22 seconds left. Jordan Riley knocked down a free throw for the Owls before time expired as the Bulls claimed a 76-68 victory.
Youngblood posted a team-high 17 points. He added two assists and one rebound. Knox notched a 15-point performance to go along with three rebounds and one assist. Miguel finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Reid rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points. He ended the night a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range. He dished out a game-high five assists. He chipped in with five rebounds and one steal. Pryor finished tied for a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his six points, career-high six assists, two steals, and one block.
Riley led the Owls with a game-high 21 points. He finished with eight boards, two steals, one assist, and one block. Hysier Miller chipped in with a 17-point game to go along with four assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Shane Dezonie closed out the double-digit scorers for Temple with 10. He added four rebounds.
The USF bench outscored its opponent for the 11th time this season. The South Florida bench tallied 20 points, while the Temple bench was limited to eight points, which was the second-fewest on the season. The Bulls had a slight advantage on fastbreak points, 11-10. The two sides were even with 32 points in the paint.
Next Up
The Bulls head to Birmingham, Alabama, for their first road AAC test. USF takes on UAB on Sunday, January 7, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
