TAMPA, Fla. – To illustrate how rough the first half was for the USF Bulls on Wednesday evening is that they made 12 of their first 16 second-half shots from the field and still trailed by 10. Not that they were dismal from the field in the first 20 minutes, as they shot 46 percent only to trail by 20.
The issues in the first half of a 92-83 loss to UAB at the Yuengling Center? The inability to connect from beyond the arc (1-11) while being beaten on the glass by a wide margin (21-7).
“Disappointed at the start of the game,” said interim coach Ben Fletcher. “I thought we lacked urgency. I don’t want to speculate why. I think we played hard, but we were lacking in the details.”
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The Bulls (9-8/2-2 American) made things interesting in the second half. They shot 61 percent, including 7 of 12 three-pointers to turn the tables in that department. They cut the deficit to six with 57 seconds remaining when CJ Brown made a three-point play to make it 84-78.
Jayden Reid had 22 of his season-high 26 points in the second half. Jamille Reynolds and Jimmie Williams each had 13. UAB (11-7/4-1) had six players in double-figure, with senior forward Christian Coleman leading the way with 21 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds.
The Bulls have lost five straight to the Blazers, and 14 of 16 in a series they trail 42-21.
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