Bulls defense holds off Northern Iowa

TAMPA, Fla.– The University of South Florida men’s basketball team was back on the court inside the Yuengling Center on Sunday for a matchup with Northern Iowa. Jose Placer recorded a game-high 21 points as the Bulls (2-1) defeated the Panthers (1-2) 74-65.

UNI opened the contest with the first five points, but USF answered with a 5-0 run to tie the game at 5-5 with 17:44 left in the first stanza. The Panthers added a 12-4 run and took a 17-9 lead midway through the first half.

South Florida picked up the defensive pressure and went on an 18-0 run and took a 27-17 lead with 4:28 left in the half. The two squads traded baskets for the remainder of the half as the Bulls took a 32-22 lead into the break.

The USF defense held UNI’s high-power 3-point attack to just 18.0 percent from behind the arc in the first half. South Florida shot 30.0 percent from long range in the first half.

The second half started quickly as both teams combined to go 5-for-5 from the field, capped off by a step-back 3-pointer by Jose Placer. USF held a 40-26 lead with 18:29 left in regulation.

With South Florida up, 42-33, Placer recorded a steal and started a fastbreak. Placer tossed the lob to Kobe Knox for the alley-oop.

The Bulls went on to outscore the Panthers 16-9 for the next six minutes of play. During the run, Placer and Selton Miguel posted five points each. USF held a 60-44 lead with 7:23 left to play.

UNI outscored USF 21-14 for the remainder of the game but were never able to pull within less than nine points for the rest of the contest. The Bulls claimed a 74-65 victory.

As a unit, South Florida has allowed 13 3-pointers in three games. USF is holding opponents to 21.3 percent shooting from long range.

Chris Youngblood notched a game-high four assists and a game-best two steals. Miguel finished the contest tied for a game-high seven rebounds. Corey Walker Jr. posted a game-high two blocks.

Notables

· Jose Placer finished with a game-high 19 points, the most of his career in the Green and Gold.

· Kobe Knox registered the most posts of his career for USF with 13.

· USF entered the contest as the No. 2 free-throw shooting team averaging 23.0 made free throws a game. Today the Bulls made 15 of their 18 for 83.3 percent.

· USF held UNI to just 17.9 percent from behind the 3-point line. The Panthers entered the contest averaging 10.5 3-pointers per contest, which was tied for 23rd in the NCAA. UNI was shooting 39 percent from 3-point range coming into tonight’s contest.

· South Florida improved to 2-0 in the series with Northern Iowa.

Next Up

South Florida stays at home as Maine makes the trip to Tampa. The Bulls and Black Bears are slated for a 7 p.m. jump on Wednesday, November 22, on ESPN+.