By Kenneth Cross
Tampa – Turning the page can sometimes lead to a big opportunity and Sunday, the South Florida Bulls rallied from being down as many as eight points in the first half to defeat the Shockers, 72-68, at Yuengling Center.
The Bulls were able to stymie Wichita State in the second half as they used a 16-0 run to take a 53-41 advantage on a Brandon Stroud layup with 10:42 to play.
“This was a very tough game,” said South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. “One, Wichita State is a really good team, a well-coached team. Two, you’re coming off such a big win, but an emotional win. I think these guys were a little bit spent emotionally which leads into the physical part of it.”
Abdur-Rahim was alluding to Thursday evening’s 74-73 win at No. 10 Memphis where the Bulls trailed by 20 points at one point before taking control of the game in the second half.
Center Kasean Pryor once again had a double-double as he led USF with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Once again, he ignited a key run as he scored nine points in the decisive 16-0 run.
“He did a good job today and anytime, you let a guy get to the free throw line 11 times, he’s being aggressive,” said Abdur-Rahim.
Jose Placer was back from injury as he scored 17 points in 22 minutes. He nailed seven of those early in the first half as he stopped a 9-2 Shockers run with 17-foot jumper that cut the WSU lead to 20-18.
“I am happy for him; I am proud of him,” stated Abdur-Rahim. “You have to remember that he is a 1,000-point scorer. He may be a 1,500-point scorer if I am not mistaken. He is a guy used to taking a bunch of shots.”
The coach commented on how tough the season has been for Placer so far and how he emotionally was pleased to see him with such a positive bounce-back performance.
“Leading up to Memphis and this game, he had his best couple of practices since he has been back,” said Abdur-Rahim. “I heard the ball bouncing down in the gym and it was him.”
The Shockers outscored the Bulls,14-6, over three and a half minutes when Ronnie DeGray, III, scored on a lay-in and Colby Rogers followed a miss inside with a score on an offensive rebound. Wichita State once again put pressure on the Bulls as USF only led 64-61 with 4:07 to play.
Guard Kobe Knox had a key layup with 1:46 remaining and it gave South Florida a 68-64 advantage before Wichita State guard Xavier Bell cut it back to 68-66 with 40 seconds remaining. From there, Pryor put the game away with a clutch shot from the free throw line and two free throws.
“It was started by our defense in the first half so that was something we stressed going into the second half – to continue to get stops and create offense,” Knox explained.
A huge key in the Bulls being able to finish with the win was holding the Shockers to only 2-of-19 from three although they shot 49.1 percent from the game.
“We always want to defend that three-point line,” said Abdur-Rahim. “That the point line is the ultimate equalizer, it can put you back in the game in a heartbeat.”
Achieving consistency across the boards is something that the Bulls have learned in many areas inside the game. Abdur-Rahim has helped South Florida learned the keys to achieving in various areas of the game.
“After the Memphis game, I said focus on being a consistent team, not a hot team,” summarized Abdur-Rahim. “A consistent team is a dangerous team. A hot team you can be beat any day of the week, if you are hot. When you cool off, be consistent in those areas, one-on-one rebounding, and being first to the floor. All the little energy-generating behaviors, that’s what keeps us going.”