Photo courtesy of USF Athletics
By Dominic Feo
USF’s fast-paced offense and stingy defense helped stave off a late comeback attempt in a 74-72 Bulls win against the Stetson Hatters on Dec. 3 at the Yuengling Center.
Sophomore guard, Jayden Reid, scored a career-high of 23 points and knocked down four of his five shot attempts from behind the arc. Reid now averages 12.4 points per game, nearly double his 6.8-point average from last season.
Interim head coach Ben Fletcher spoke about Reid’s development at the post-game press conference.
“I thought tonight [Reid] played a full game and he showed what he was really capable of,” Fletcher said.
USF partnered with the Metropolitan Ministries for the team’s annual toy drive. Fans brought new, unwrapped toys that will be donated to kids in need.
From tipoff to the final whistle, USF’s defense was opportunistic. The team finished the night with a season-high of 12 steals.
The first big moment of the game came from junior guard Kobe Knox when he poked the ball away from Stetson forward Jordan Wood and took it the other way for a dunk.
Knox who has played in 40 consecutive games, has proven to be a consistent positive for a team that has dealt with so much change.
Reid capped off the team’s impressive first half with a buzzer-beater three-pointer to put the Bulls up 35-29.
USF went on a run in the second half after a forced turnover and dunk by freshman guard CJ Brown.
Coach Fletcher gave Brown credit for giving the Bulls momentum with his energetic play.
“He’s a game-breaker, a game changer, I thought the steal he had in that second half sparked the run for us to get up 18,” Fletcher said.
Although USF was in the lead early in the second half, Stetson began to chip away at the deficit.
With four seconds left in the game, USF had a 74-72 lead. USF caught a break when the Stetson defender next to Reid fell over, letting Reid inbound the ball and run to the other end of the court to drain the last four seconds.
A win against Stetson was crucial, as USF’s schedule gets noticeably tougher in the upcoming weeks. USF now heads north to Chicago, Illinois to face undefeated Loyola University on Dec. 7.
The game will be broadcast on USA Network at 12:30 p.m. ET.
