FAIRFAX, Va. – South Florida's Corey Allen Jr. hit the game-winning jumper with two seconds on the clock as South Florida came back in the second half to take a 68-66 victory over men's basketball Wednesday night.
USF (5-2) used a 27-for-37 effort at the free throw line, including a 17-for-21 second half performance, to help seal the victory as Mason (5-3) went 11-for-19 at the charity stripe for the game. Mason opened the second half with a 16-7 run to take its largest lead of the contest, 53-36, with 12:19 to play. The Bulls responded with a 22-1 run over 6:24 minutes of play to retake the lead, 59-54 with 4:57 on the clock. Bryon Allen snapped the run with a triple as the senior would tie the game at 66-all draining a trey with 21 seconds on the clock. After both teams called their final timeouts, Allen Jr. converted the USF possession for the win.
South Florida kept it close in the early going of the game as the teams worked through five lead changes and five tied scores before the Patriots utilized a four minute scoring drought by the Bulls to pull away with a 26-19 advantage with 5:19 left to play in the first half. Victor Rudd snapped the run with a triple as Mason opened a double-digit lead following a Corey Edwards bucket at 3:12. Marko Gujanicic hit the Patriots' final field goal of the half at 2:43 as USF closed the stanza with the final seven points for the 34-29 halftime score. The Bulls were just 9-for-24 from the field, but went 10-for-16 from the charity stripe. Mason was 3-for-5 at the free throw line.
For the game, Sherrod Wright led all scorers with 22 points as three Patriots finished in double-figures. Allen contributed 14 points, while Gujanicic added 11 points. USF won the rebounding battle, 36-33, led by Chris Perry's double-double of 11 rebounds and 14 points. Allen Jr. led the Bulls with a team-best 19 points. Johnny Williams and Erik Copes each led Mason with six rebounds.
The Patriots return to action taking on Oklahoma on Sunday, December 8 at 1 p.m. as part of the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
