A 15-1 run midway through the second half left no doubt in USF’s 86-64 win over Charlotte in an American Conference semifinal Saturday afternoon in Birmingham. Now, the Bulls are one win away from winning their first conference tournament since 1990 when Bobby Paschall’s squad won the Sun Belt in a tourney also played in Birmingham.
Bryan Hodgon’s green and gold will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Tulsa and Wichita State, which was scheduled to tip off after USF’s win. The championship game will be Sunday at 3:15 ET on ESPN.
The Bulls, who have won 10 straight, held Charlotte to 34 percent shooting, including just 24 percent (7-for-29) on three-pointers. They also had 12 steals.
“Just do what we have been doing all year come out and play defense first, set the tone, and I feel that will carry us,” Joseph Pinion told ESPN when asked about what it will take to win the championship game and an automatic berth in the NCAAs.
READ: One Possession At A Time: Hodgson Dials The USF Bulls In for Postseason Push
The 49ers were hanging around and trimmed a 10-point halftime deficit to three with 12 minutes to play. That was when Wes Enis, Izaiyah Nelson, Pinion and the Bulls (24-8) turned up the heat in building a 67-50 lead, an advantage that would swell to as many as 25.
Enis and Pinion, both with a game-high 24 points, combined to go 10-for-21 from beyond the arc in the second half. Nelson had 16 points and eight rebounds and Josh Omojafo had 10 boards.
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