East Hillsborough News

Tyler Harris torched the top-ranked team in the country for a career-high 31 points Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough as the University of South Florida dropped an 83-77 contest at No. 1 Houston. The Cougars' Marcus Sasser matched Harris with 31 points for the home team.

It was another hard-fought and heartbreaking loss for South Florida (7-10, 0-4 AAC) as the Bulls have lost four straight conference games by a combined 21 points. Houston improves to 17-1 (5-0 AAC).

"Tip your hat to Houston and Sasser, who was the Preseason Player of the Year, and they needed that type of effort out of him tonight," said head coach Brian Gregory. "I was proud of our fight and toughness all night. We did a good job on the glass and withstood some blows at different points of the game. We adjusted both defensively and offensively tonight in some of our sets to matchup against Houston, and I give our guys a lot of credit for great execution. The turnover number was too high again in this game, but Houston is the best defensive team in the country. However, it's something we've seen become a problem for us lately in these close losses. If we can continue to compete at that level throughout the rest of our conference schedule, we'll get some good results."

The No. 1-ranked team in the country also entered the night also as the top-ranked scoring defense (51.5 ppg) and defensive field goal unit (33.2 percent). The Cougars forced the Bulls into 18 total turnovers, including 11 in the second half. However, South Florida posted the highest field goal percentage of the season for any Houston opponent at 48.9 percent.

Houston won the rebounding battle in the first half, 21-16, but saw USF control the glass in the second half, 20-9.

It was a frantic first half with fast-paced action that turned physical and chippy, before both teams ultimately hit their stride to score 10-unaswered points, respectively, before the break.

Harris knocked down back-to-back triples as he, Sasser and the Cougars traded three-point baskets on five straight possessions. Harris' second tied the score at 12-12 with 14:11 on the first half clock.

USF remained red hot from the field early and the Bulls' seventh straight make was a three-pointer by freshman Ryan Conwell for a 19-17 lead with 10:20 on the clock.

Houston eventually found its shooting stroke as well and scored 10 straight points to claim a 37-26 lead with 2:50 left in the half. Not deterred, the Bulls answered right back with 10 consecutive points of their own, including five from Harris, to cut Houston's lead to 37-36 at halftime.

Harris kept the offense rolling early in the second half with a pair of three-pointers, bookending one by Keyshawn Bryant, that saw USF go on a 9-2 run and claim a 45-43 lead at the 15:54 mark.

Russel Tchewa scored five straight USF points and preceded a pair of free throws by Bryant to give the Bulls their biggest lead of the night, 53- 48, with 13:38 on the clock.

The Cougars responded with another 10-point run over the next two minutes to reclaim a 58-53 lead. The Bulls committed five turnovers in that same span. USF also endured an eight-minute drought without a field goal that saw Houston eventually build a double-digit lead with 6:59 left to play.

Jamir Chaplin knocked down a three-pointer with 1:11 left on the clock to cut the Cougar lead to 74-68, but the home team kept up the pressure.

Harris continued to stuff the stat sheet over the final minute and one more triple by Chaplin at the buzzer accounted for the final score.

Notable

• Harris' 30-point effort is the first by a USF player since David Collins (31) vs. Stony Brook on March 20, 2019.
• Harris has knocked down five or more three-pointers in a game this season five times (two with six).
• The Bulls shot a season-best 47.6 percent (10-21) from downtown.
• Tchewa came just shy of his third straight double-double with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Up Next

The Bulls remain on the road with a stop at ECU on Sunday, January 15. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. in Greenville, N.C.       

Tickets are on sale now. Fans are encouraged to visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls to purchase tickets.

To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

Original source can be found here.