Brad Posted March 5, 2017 Group: Admin Topic Count: 13,332 Content Count: 97,003 Reputation: 10,809 Days Won: 469 Joined: 05/19/2000 Share Posted March 5, 2017 USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Web Link: http://bit.ly/2mnVhuJ Box Score: http://bit.ly/2mUwRXD Follow USF Men’s Basketball on Twitter Like USF Men’s Basketball on Facebook Santos, Thorpe Shine in Loss to Temple The duo combined for 35 points in the regular season finale TAMPA, MARCH 5, 2017 – Despite a game-high 21 points from junior Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh) and another 14 points from sophomore Luis Santos (Bronx, N.Y.), the University of South Florida men’s basketball team (7-22, 1-17 The American) was defeated 72-60 by Temple (16-15, 7-11) on Sunday afternoon. Temple hit four of its first five three-pointers to put USF in an early deficit. Trailing 12-9, the Bulls rallied back with an 8-0 run capped on a three by freshman forward Malik Fitts (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.). The back-and-forth half featured four ties and five lead changes. Following ties at 14, 16, 18, and 20, the Owls finished the opening stanza on a 15-6 run. After the break, USF cut the Temple advantage to four, 44-40, on a Geno Thorpe three at the 15:09mark. However, the Owls would go on a 14-5 surge to rebuild a double-digit lead. The Bulls would only get as close as seven the rest of the afternoon in the defeat. Key Stats Both teams made 25 field goals but Temple made 11 treys compared to USF’s five. Quotable Interim head coach Murry Bartow on the Bulls’ effort: “I thought the defensive effort was good. Obviously they made 11 threes, which is way too many. We rebounded well again. We rebounded our tails off.” Coach Bartow on the play of Ruben Guerrero and Luis Santos: “My gosh, Ruben and Luis just continue to battle and fight and compete…The two of them combined to get us 22 points and 14 rebounds.. Against UCF, they also got us 12 and 18. They’re incredible kids. Great attitude, great energy. Whatever I ask them to do they’re 100 percent all in. I just can’t say enough about those two.” Notables Santos was two points shy of matching his career high (16, at Tulane, 2/18/17). The forward also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. Thorpe tallied 20+ points for the seventh time this year. He was 8-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Thorpe also registered five assists and five rebounds. Junior center Ruben Guerrero (Spain) totaled eight points and eight rebounds. Redshirt freshman forward Tulio Da Silva (Brazil) set a new career best with four steals. The Bulls won the rebounding edge 39-35. It was the fourth time in the last five games that USF has outrebounded the opponent. Four Temple players scored in double figures. Up Next: USF’s next game will be in the 2017 Frontier Communications American Athletic Conference Tournament in Hartford, Conn. The Bulls will play on Thursday, March 9 at 8 p.m. The opponent is TBD. The game will be broadcast on ESPNEWS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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