TAMPA, FLA., DEC. 29, 2019 – Ezacuras Dawson III scored a career-high 18 points and USF overcame a seven-point deficit with four minutes remaining to defeat Florida Atlantic 60-58 Sunday afternoon at the Yuengling Center in the final game of non-conference play.
Michael Forrest put Florida Atlantic ahead 56-49 to cap a 15-4 run and give the Owls their largest lead of the game. That’s when Dawson erupted for 10 straight points in a span of 2:24 to put USF ahead 59-56 with just over a minute remaining.
Everett Winchester scored on the ensuing possession for Florida Atlantic to trim the lead to one, but Cornelius Taylor missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer after Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) made one of two free throws the possession before.
USF (7-6) led by as many as 12 points in the second half before a 15-3 run by Florida Atlantic pulled the Owls even at 41-41. A free throw from Justin Brown (Atlanta) and a three-pointer by Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) thereafter pushed the USF lead back to four.
Rideau hit a deep three-pointer at the end of the first half to give USF a 35-26 lead.
Freshman B.J. Mack (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a career-best 10 points and added three rebounds off the bench for USF. Rideau finished with six assists and three steals and has registered at least six assists in four of his last six games.
Karlis Silins led Florida Atlantic with 12 points and was the only Owl to score in double figures.
Notable
• USF held its sixth opponent of the season to fewer than 60 points.
• USF improved to 10-0 all-time at home against Florida Atlantic.
• USF is 21-6 at home against non-conference competition under head coach Brian Gregory.
Key Stats
10 – USF made a season-high 10 three-pointers and shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.
5 – USF held Florida Atlantic leading scorer Cornelius Taylor to five points
4 – Florida Atlantic managed only four free throw attempts.
Up Next
USF opens conference play Wednesday at 5 p.m. (EST) when the Bulls travel to Dallas, Texas, to face SMU from Moody Coliseum.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s’ basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Men’s Basketball
The USF men’s basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State’s Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
– #GoBulls –
