Pictured above: USF guard Javon Greene scored 15 points and made three rebounds and a pair of steals.
Sofía García Vargas | The Crow’s Nest
By Sofía García Vargas
After a strong start in the first half, the USF men’s basketball team fell to the Auburn University Tigers in the highly-anticipated game on Nov. 19.
The Amalie Arena lit up in green and gold as it hosted the fourth game of the regular season with an overnight transformation of the court into a stage for the home team.
The game started with the Bulls going on a 9-0 run with points by center Russel Tchewa, guards Jamir Chaplin and Caleb Murphy and forward Sam Hines Jr.
After six minutes of play, the Tigers opened the score board with a three-point jumper from guard K.D. Johnson.
The game proceeded with a back and forth between the teams mostly benefiting USF and Murphy, who at halftime was already at double digits with 11 points.
Starting at the 6:26 mark of the first half, the Tigers shortened the difference with more buckets from Johnson in addition to guards Zep Jasper and Lior Berman and forward Jaylin Williams.
The teams went into the locker rooms with the Bulls up 33-26, forcing a change of strategy from Auburn.
USF came into the second half with a weak defense the Tigers used to capitalize with a 15-point run.
The Bulls struggled to get past a tight defense by Auburn, which resulted in a 16-7 run that allowed the Tigers to take the lead with 9:51 left on the clock.
The game shadowed an intense ending too familiar for the Bulls, as in their last game they were able to come back from a game-long double digit lead from North Carolina A&T University. This time, however, USF wasn’t able to get the wanted result.
The hero from the win against North Carolina, guard Javon Green, hit a three point jumper with 2:28 left to play, cutting Auburn’s lead to three points. But after missing a three-pointer to tie the score board with 47 seconds left in the game, Auburn sealed the deal with two free throws from Jasper and one from Johnson setting the game 58-52.
“I thought it was going to be a battle,” USF head coach Brian Gregory said. “I thought if we went out there and played with some fight, which I thought we did, we’d be able to compete and we proved that we could do that. We’re just not quite good enough yet to win that game.”
USF collects two wins and two losses early in the season, and with 10 new additions to the team, eight transfers and two freshmen, the team struggles to find a consistent rhythm.
As the season progresses, the Bulls strive to become a stronger team.
“Each game we play we feel better and more comfortable,” Greene said.
USF will host Hampton University on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Yuengling Center. Tickets can be found at gousfbulls.com.
Follow the USF men’s basketball teams on social media @USFMBB.
