HOUSTON — A 13-point halftime deficit did not deter the University of South Florida as they came back in the second half to beat American Athletic Conference foe Rice 69-65 on Saturday.
Multiple scoring spurts in the first half by the Owls gave them a 38-25 lead into the break.
The Bulls responded with a 19-5 run to start the second stanza, giving USF a 44-43 lead with 15:37 left in the game. Chris Youngblood accounted for eight points during that run, including two 3-pointers.
The Bulls then added a 6-4 run and extended their lead to 50-47 with a little over 13 minutes left in regulation.
About three minutes later, Youngblood knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Bulls back in front 53-50.
With the clock ticking towards six minutes left to go, Kasean Pryor picked up an offensive rebound and tapped it out to Kobe Knox, who kicked it to Youngblood for his fifth 3-pointer of the game. That 3-pointer gave South Florida a 60-57 lead, and another three from Youngblood at the 1:59 mark shut the door on the Owls.
Youngblood finished with a game-high 24 points as well as four rebounds, one block, and one steal. He was 8-for-14 shooting and 6-for-7 from 3-point range.
Pryor recorded his sixth double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with two steals, one block, and one assist. Knox had a season-high six assists to go along with six points.
With the victory, South Florida improved to 17-5 overall and 10-1 in AAC play, while Rice fell to 9-15 overall and 3-8 in conference action.
The Bulls extended their winning streak to nine conference games, which is the longest in program history. South Florida has started the season 17-5 for the first time ever.
The 10 wins in conference play are the second most in program history, trailing only the 12 wins South Florida collected in the Big East in 2011-12. The Bulls have won five road games in conference play for the first time since that same 2011-12 squad.
The nine-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history, originally set during the 1982-83 season.
