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USF made it two in a row last night, beating Troy 80 to 74, improving their record to 4-2 on the season. USF led by over 20 points during the second half but had to hold on to late to secure the victory.
The Bulls came out on fire in the first half, leading 43 to 25 at the break. USF shot 60% (!!) compared to 24% for Troy but were down 17 to 20 in total rebounds. Troy Holston led the Bulls with 13 points while Tulio Da Silva added 10. It was quite the start for this young team on the road.
In the second half, the Bulls led by 23 points at one time, but that lead slipped away once again (shades of Kennesaw State all over again). However, the USF was able to hang on late, thanks to Geno Thorpe, and pulled off the victory. USF shot 49% overall from the floor (36% for Troy) and were 8 for 17 from 3-point range. The Bulls did lose the rebounding battle again at 36 to 41, but dominated with 34 points in the paint compared to 20 for Troy.
Geno Thorpe led the way for the Bulls with 22 points (12 for 13 from the free throw line), adding 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tulio Da Silva had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Troy Holston had 15 points (3 for 7 from 3-point range) and added 2 rebounds.
Malik Fitts had 6 points and 4 rebounds while Ruben Guerrero had 6 points and 9 rebounds. Luis Santos had a career high with 14 points off the bench (he’s starting to become reliable for the Bulls).
The Bulls will continue their road trip as they take on George Washington on Saturday afternoon (game begins at 2 PM). George Washington should be a really solid test to see if this team is actually decent or if these last two wins were something else.
by Matt Staton
SoFloBulls.com Columnist | @USFMatt
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