The USF Bulls opened their 2016-17 men’s basketball season with a win against Florida A & M, 84-73. The Bulls were led in scoring by Penn State junior transfer, Geno Thorpe, who had 19. The Rattlers led the first four minutes of the game, before a layup by Thorpe gave USF the lead. The Bulls would hold that lead into halftime, leading by as many as 15 before going into the locker rooms leading, 45-32.
USF would continue their dominance into the second half, where they would never relinquish their lead. FAMU would come within a handful midway through the period, but the Bulls quickly pulled away.
Rueben Guerrero was the third highest scoring player for USF, netting 13 and adding 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Freshman guard, Michael Bibby, did well for himself in his debut, starting in place of suspended guard, Jahmal McMurray. Bibby scored ten, with two going for three. Bo Ziegler went 6-7 from the field, scoring 15 points.
The Rattlers were led by strong scoring by Marcus Barham and Craig Bowman, who scored 22 and 20 points respectively. The duo accounted for half of FAMU’s scoring. The 0-1 Rattlers will host Trinity Baptist College on 11-15.
Elon will be the next team to visit the 1-0 Bulls on 11-17.
