USF men hung tough but Gators' inside depth was the difference in 98-83 Florida win

The opening-night loss to the 21st-ranked Florida Gators by the USF men’s basketball team was an inside job.

I don’t mean to imply that the refs cheated or that the fix was in.

I do mean to say the Gators' inside depth wore the Bulls down in the final 10 minutes and led to a 98-83 win for Florida.

The Bulls trailed by only 64-62 with 9:43 to play, but the Gators took over from there. They outscored USF 34-21 the rest of the way, hitting 16 of 18 free throws down the stretch.

While USF contained Florida well from 3-point land, the Gators hit 28 of 38 (73.3 percent) from in close. The Gators had 50 points in the paint compared to 24 for the Bulls.

While it was a disappointing outcome for interim head coach Ben Fletcher, there were several bright spots. Playing their first game since the recent death of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, the Bulls took the fight to Florida.

USF led by 13 points with 6:13 to play in the first half. The Bulls’ quickness and defensive tenacity seemed to surprise Florida.

They also finished the night with balanced scoring. Four players were in double figures, led by 6-11 forward Jamille Reynolds with 17 points. He transferred to USF this season from Cincinnati to address the Bulls’ weakness last year on the inside game. While he played well, the Gators had more depth in the interior.

USF also shot 48 percent from 3-point range, which is encouraging, and had a 23-13 edge in fast-break points.

The Bulls will try to regroup when they travel to the College of Charleston on Friday, November 8.

Charleston, playing its first game under new head coach Chris Mack, opened Monday with a 90-80 victory over Southern Illinois at the Field of 68 showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Bulls will have to keep an eye on Charleston’s Ante Brzovic, who had a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the game to lead the Cougars.

USF’s first home game is November 12 against Arkansas Pine Bluff.