Senior guard Chris Youngblood scored a career-high 29 points and No. 24 South Florida extended its school-record winning streak to 15 games by defeating Tulane 85-72 on Tuesday night in Tampa, Fla.
Kasean Pryor scored 13 points, Selton Miguel had 12 and Jayden Reid added 11 for the Bulls (23-5, 16-1 American Athletic Conference), who won for the 21st time in their last 22 games while playing their first game since clinching their first regular-season conference championship. South Florida’s 15-game winning streak is the longest active one in the nation.
Jaylen Forbes tied his career-high with seven 3-pointers and scored 24 points for Tulane. Sion James scored 14 and Collin Holloway and Kevin Cross added 13 each for the Green Wave (13-16, 4-13), who lost their seventh consecutive game.
Forbes made a free throw to start the second-half scoring and tie the score at 44, and the score was knotted again at 50 and 52.
Youngblood scored five points during a 7-0 run to help South Florida open a 59-52 lead. Forbes made consecutive 3-pointers and Cross added a layup to pull the Green Wave within 61-60 with 11:22 remaining.
Consecutive layups by Youngblood pushed the lead to 67-60 and the Bulls led by seven points again, but Tulane closed within two as South Florida went more than five minutes without making a field goal.
Brandon Stroud ended the drought by making a layup, Youngblood followed with a jumper, Stroud added a 3-pointer and Youngblood made a layup for a 78-67 lead with 3:34 left.
Tulane used just seven players and all five starters played at least 34 minutes.
The Green Wave scored the first seven points of the game before Pryor scored the Bulls’ first seven and Youngblood added a 3-pointer to give South Florida its first lead at 10-9.
The Bulls took a three-point lead before James’ 3-pointer tied the score at 20 midway through the half.
The score was tied again at 22 before the lead changed hands three times and Youngblood’s 3-pointer gave South Florida a five-point lead.
Forbes made three straight 3-pointers to give the Green Wave a 33-29 lead before Reid answered with a 3-pointer for the Bulls. The lead changed hands five times before Miguel’s 3-pointer gave the Bulls a four-point lead.
Forbes made his fifth 3-pointer, leaving South Florida with a 44-43 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media