The USF Bulls (19-5, 12-1) defeated the 24th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls (20-6, 10-3) 90-86 on Sunday afternoon at the Yuengling Center in Tampa. The Bulls have now won eleven straight wins, all of them in conference play (extending a school record), and are in control of first place in the AAC.
A new school-record 10,659 fans filled the Yuengling Center and the energy was electric. The crowd set a new Yuengling Center record, and the fans were not disappointed. Florida Atlantic scored the first basket of the game for a 2-0 lead, and never led again in this contest. The Bulls built a 46-31 halftime lead and led by 25 with 12:45 to go in the game.
The Owls did not go down without a fight, showing the grit that led them to the Final Four last season. They went on a 15-0 run midway through the second half to get back into the game. They eventually pulled within cut USF'ls lead to one point, pulling within 87-86 with 22.1 seconds to go.
Chris Youngblood made three free-throws on four attempts as the Bulls held on to win this game - he finished with 23 points in the ballgame. Corey Walker also made some huge plays final minutes, including taking a foul on a blocked shot and pulling down a huge offensive rebound - he finished with eight points and ten rebounds on the game. The Bulls offense was led by Selton Miguel, who scored 25 points in the game.
The Bulls hope to build on this win when they travel to San Antonio to play UTSA on Wednesday night. Tipoff from the Lone Star State is scheduled for 8:00 PM on Wednesday.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY JAY RECHER