By On Wednesday night, the USF Bulls delivered another all-around strong performance on both ends of the floor to earn a 97–83 road victory over the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans.
With the win, USF improves to 14-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play. This was also the third game in a row that USF has won by 13 points or more.
With the win, the Bulls moved into a four-way tie for first place atop the AAC, joining Tulsa, FAU, and Charlotte.
South Florida jumped out early, trading baskets with Tulane until Asher Woods would nail a 23-foot three-point jumper to give Tulane a 27-23 lead.
That would be the biggest lead of the night for Tulane, as the Bulls would claw back and take a 29-27 lead on a Wes Enis three-pointer with just under eight minutes to play in the half, and USF would never trail the rest of the night.
Great three-point shooting by Wes Enis and Joe Pinion helped the Bulls extend the lead to 13, as USF led 52-39 at the half.
In the second half, the Bulls would stretch the lead to 25 with just under eight minutes remaining. USF would go on a 10-0 run midway through the half that helped USF create separation and put the game out of reach.
Tulane continued to battle, but every time it cut into the deficit, South Florida responded to keep the Green Wave at a distance.
Enis once again led the way for the Bulls and was the standout player offensively for USF, finishing with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including five three-pointers. Enis made his 40th three-pointer of the month, the most by any Division I player in January. And there is still one more game in January.
Enis now has six games with five or more three pointers, and is just the sixth Bull in program history to post three or more 30-point performances in a single season.
Joe Pinion added 17 for the Bulls, and the reigning AAC player of the week, Izaiyah Nelson, contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds in the win, his 15th double-double of the season, his ninth in the last 11 games.
Defensively, USF was on point early on as they held the AAC preseason Player of the Year Rowan Brombaugh scoreless for the first 17:13 of the game.
Enis would frustrate Brumbaugh throughout the game, limiting the Tulane guard to 12 points on 4/14 shooting.
A key stat in the win was second-chance points, as the Bulls scored 27 points on 17 offensive rebounds.
For the game, USF finished with a 31-22 rebounding advantage and outscored Tulane 42-28 in the paint as the Bulls dominated on both ends of the floor.
The Bulls shot 48 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line in the 97-83 win.
USF has now won four conference games in a row and remains unbeaten on the road (4-0) in conference play.
Next Up:
The Bulls will play at Temple on Saturday at 8 PM. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
