USF men fall way behind Middle Tennessee in Myrtle Beach tourney and can’t catch up

The USF men’s basketball fell into a deep hole in the first half against Middle Tennessee and couldn’t climb completely out of the deficit, falling to the Blue Raiders 95-88.

The loss in USF’s second game in the Myrtle Beach Invitational means the best the Bulls can do is finish third in the six-team tournament. The Bulls will play Wright State, a 77-74 loser to Bradley on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Bulls fell to 3-3 and saw a three-game losing streak snapped. Middle Tennessee improved to 5-1.

The game got away from USF during a five-minute stretch midway through the first half. The Blue Raiders, already leading 13-11, went on a 14-2 run to stretch their lead to 27-13. They increased that to an 18-point lead by halftime.

The Bulls got to within three points on a 3-point jumper by Jimmie Williams with 3:33 left, but Middle Tennessee pulled away again to secure the win.

As is becoming the norm, USF had balanced scoring, placing three players in double figures led by Jayden Reid’s 18 points. Middle Tennessee’s Justin Porter led everyone with 27 points, including 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.