USF Falls to Troy in Season Opener

[Brad]

 

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USF Falls to Troy in Season Opener

Perry records his sixth-career double-double

 

TAMPA, NOV. 13, 2015 – Junior Chris Perry recorded his sixth-career double-double in USF men’s basketball’s 82-77 season-opening loss to Troy Friday night.

 

The Bartow, Fla. native recorded a career-high 17 rebounds and scored 13 points in his first regular season game since Jan. 22, 2015. He missed the last 13 games of his sophomore season with a health issue.

 

Freshman Jahmal McMurray poured in 21 points in his USF debut and went 5-of-15 from 3-point range.

 

USF (0-1) shot 47.4 percent in the first half and built a 14-point lead, its largest of the game, with 3:11 remaining in the first. The Bulls led 49-44 at the half.

 

“We’ve got to learn that when we have an advantage, we have to keep playing,” said head coach Orlando Antigua. “Especially in the first half when there is so much time left in the game. You don’t get away from the things you’re having success doing and we got away from that. Give them (Troy) credit. They made some plays and some shots. They crashed the boards and were more physical than we were.”

 

USF committed 17 turnovers in the game, which led to 30 points by the Trojans, who improved to 1-0 on the season. The Bulls were 10-of-31 from 3-point range, which is the most threes attempted since 31 vs. Cal in 2009.

 

“That was entirely too much,” said Antigua. “That’s not what we want to be doing when we have a size advantage.”

 

USF ran into foul trouble in the second half and trailed by seven points with 7:30remaining. Two of Angel Nunez’ 18 points gave the Bulls a 74-73 lead with 2:33 left in the game. Troy’s Jeremy Hollimon scored a layup, two of his team-high 21 points, to give the Trojans the lead for good. Overall, USF was outscored 38-28 in the period. 

 

“They were very active and we didn’t look like a very well-coached team out there,” said Antigua. “That falls on me and the staff. It has to get corrected very quickly and it will.”

 

USF continues a string of four games in nine days with its second game of the season on Monday at 7 p.m. against NJIT.

 

 

The USF men’s basketball team returns seven from last season’s team including regular starters Ruben Guerrero, Chris Perry, Nehemias Morillo and Bo Zeigler. Orlando Antigua is in his second season as the head coach after spending the previous five season as an assistant to Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari. USF’s schedule is comprised of nine teams which had an RPI of 54 or better last season. The Bulls host 19 games, five of those teams made the NCAA Tournament last season.

[Triple B]

Post game said this was Troy's first ever win in an away season opener against a D1 school ... and first away season opener win since 1992, against an NAIA team.

Things don't get easier come Monday with NJIT, who won at #17 Michigan last year. They play Kentucky tomorrow as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

[Bullgang]

Our defense was atrocious. Nunez and Perry looks good tho

Edited November 14, 2015 by Bullgang

[LrdNorman]

This is going to be a long rebuilding process...

[CousinRicky]

Not a good game at all but, and I know I'm not a guy to look at the bright side of things, Guerrero was out with the concussion, I think it is Santos who is out after knee surgery, Holston is out for the year and Peters was slowed by a bad back.  Cousins did nothing because mostly he wasn't out on the floor after 2 stupid over-the-back fouls.  Seemed COA blamed the 3rd foul, an illegal pick, on McMurray so I won't put that on Cousins either.  It was nice to see more than one guy make a couple of 3s.  Nunez and McMurray appear to be guys that can shoot them.  Morillo looked lost out there for most of the game.  But he can and did, last year, play better than that.

I think once healthy we'll be better than last year. 

Edited November 14, 2015 by Bourbon Bull
Last line added

[yosoybullsfan]

Good to hear about Peters because if that is what we can expect from him we are in a ton of trouble.  I did hear coach tell him to sit down because "you can't move out there". Hope its nothing serious.

The new guys looked good but as a team that was very bad ball.  Tons of offensive rebounds and guards penetrating right to the bucket against us.

[bcgruber]

I was thinking the same thing about peters, until I heard about the back situation postgame.  His play needs to be much better to support his former 5* status

[NewEnglandBull]

These guys really know how to be a buzz kill for USF athletics. 

[bullcocky101]

my enthusiasm for USF basketball went from a 1 out of 10 to a 0 after that game...team needs another year at least. They need to put "under construction" signs on the sundome for Men's B-ball and not let anyone in. It will be painful to watch. The women on the other hand...

[Bear]

It's going to be a long season