National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
South Florida 68, Florida Gulf Coast 66
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Where: USF Sun Dome, Tampa, Florida
Officials: # Mike Sanzere, # Zelton Steed, # Ted Valentine
Attendance: 4105

South Florida 68, Florida Gulf Coast 66 (2OT): Victor Rudd scored 23 points — including seven in the second overtime — and grabbed 14 rebounds to power the Bulls past the visiting Eagles in the opener of the Continental Las Vegas Tire Classic.

John Egbunu had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench and fellow reserve Chris Perry contributed 10 points and nine boards for South Florida (7-2). The Bulls won despite being outrebounded 51-43, shooting 3-of-15 from 3-point range and 7-of-20 from the free-throw line.

Bernard Thompson scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench to lead Florida Gulf Coast (5-5). Thompson finished with 13 field goals and the rest of the Eagles combined for 14, and Nate Hicks finished with 19 rebounds and five blocked shots.

The game was tied with 3:40 to play when Anthony Collins connected on a 3-pointer and was still even with 52 seconds to play when Rudd's dunk put the Bulls ahead 55-53. The Eagles tied the game on Thompson's jumper with 29 seconds to go and Collins then missed a layup, sending the game into the extra session.

The two teams combined for just four points in the first overtime period, then the Eagles jumped out to a three-point lead less than a minute into the second extra session. But the Bulls scored eight straight points to forge a five-point advantage with 29 seconds left, and Florida Gulf Coast could only get within one with one second remaining on a Thompson 3-pointer.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 23-21 halftime score in favor of South Florida marked the lowest-scoring first half of the season for both teams. … South Florida forced 19 turnovers but committed just eight. … The Eagles shot only eight free throws, converting four.



Top Game Performances
 
Florida Gulf Coast   South Florida
Bernard Thompson 32 Scoring Victor Rudd 23
Brett Comer 8 Assists Anthony Collins 5
Nate Hicks 19 Rebounds Victor Rudd 14
Brett Comer 2 Free Throws Made Victor Rudd 3
Jamail Jones 1 Steals Anthony Collins 5
Nate Hicks 5 Blocks Anthony Collins 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Florida Gulf Coast 66 41.5 8-25 4-8 12 51 7 2 19
South Florida 68 40.3 3-15 7-20 15 41 1 8 8