TAMPA, Fla. — Not that a record crowd of 10,669 at the Yuengling Center needed to be exhorted on, but Kesean Pryor added to the electricity by waving on a frenzied gathering following his dunk that gave USF a 23-point lead over No. 24 FAU with 12:43 remaining.
It was a lead that swelled to 25 on two occasions, the second with 8:38 remaining. The Bulls needed every bit of that lead as the Owls fought back to come with a single point with 22 seconds remaining before the hosts held on for a 90-86 victory.
Sunday afternoon’s win extended the second-longest streak in program history to 11, one behind the mark set in 2011-12. It also allowed the Bulls (19-5/12-1 American) to maintain a one-game lead in the conference as Charlotte defeated Wichita State on Sunday to move past FAU and into second place.
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“I think this is a program-defining, program-changing, program-solidifying win,” said coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was an assistant at Murray State with FAU coach Dusty May. “Any time you beat a team that went to the final four last year and has 14 or 15 guys back, that tells you a lot about the culture and DNA of your program.”