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.