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USF Basketball Hangs On For 80-74 Win Over Troy

Just like Monday, USF tries very hard to give away a big lead. Just like Monday, they still come out on top.

By Sandy Czarnecki
NCAA Basketball: North Carolina State at South Florida Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Okay when I say “USF doing USF things,” apparently it’s taken a very defined meaning… having a great first half, and then a subpar second half where double-digit leads are nearly blown.

So we saw what happened Monday night against Kennesaw State, where the Bulls led by as much as 21 at the break and then tried really hard to blow it. In the end, they barely pulled away with a two-point win because an Owl missed a deep three-pointer that could’ve won the game. Glory.

Moving along…

REPEAT. Tonight against Troy, the Bulls had an 18-point lead after halftime. The Bulls shot 72 percent in the first half Monday night, then came back for 60 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes last night, hitting 18-of-30. Nice. Meanwhile, they held Troy to 24 percent, and grabbed 22 points in the paint compared to the Trojans’ four. Okay, lookin’ good.

But wait. Queue a dreadful second half.

Three minutes in, the Bulls were up 48-28. It’s a shame that didn’t last. Back-to-back threes, a steal and a layup helped Troy make it a five-point (67-62) deficit on a 15-3 run. The drama. The Bulls worked their lead back up to eight points, before ultimately finishing with an 80-74 win. We’ll take the W, we’re just ready to see them run away with what they (so beautifully) build up in the first.

Shout out to Geno Thorpe, though, for carrying USF through. Over the last four minutes of the game, he scored 20 straight points for the Bulls (though most were from free throws … whatever, draw them fouls!). The junior guard finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. I SEE YOU, GENO. Also, sophomore forward Luis Santos recorded a career-high 14 points, so that’s cool. And Holston hit a season high 15-points. Like I said … subpar.

The Bulls will head to George Washington on Saturday at 2pm … where hopefully we’ll see sophomore guard Jahmal McMurray hit the hardwood for the first time this season after serving a six-game suspension. But you never really know with the Bulls, do you?