Box Score TAMPA, FL - South Florida used a late second half surge in a 68-55 victory over the Iona College men's basketball team in non-conference action at The Sun Dome. With the Gaels (5-8) leading by three points and just over 14 minutes to play, the Bulls (4-8) tallied 14 of the game's next 18 points over the next eight minutes to earn the victory.
Iona kept the game close in the first half as USF nursed a single-digit lead for the majority of the period. At the 11-minute mark, Bulls' sophomore Dominique Jones tallied one of his seven three pointers on the night to give his squad a 14-8 lead. The Gaels chipped away and took a one-point lead with less than 90 seconds to play on two
Scott Machado free throws. Jones caught fire and scored eight straight points to give South Florida an eight point lead with five ticks left. Machado beat the buzzer on a runner put the score at 34-29 heading into halftime.
The Maroon & Gold quickly erased the deficit in the second half, extending its run to 11-0 over the first 3:41. Senior
Devon Clarke's two free throws gave the Gaels a 38-34 lead. The Bulls took the lead at the 11:30 mark as two Alex Rivas free throws in the middle of the decisive 14-4 run gave USF a 43-42 lead. After a Clarke layup, Jones drained another three to give the Bulls the lead for good.
Jones netted a game-high 36 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Senior Jesus Verdejo posted 14 points to back up his teammate.
Clarke led the Gaels with 16 points with the help of an 8-for-12 performance from the free throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds. Rookie
Trinity Fields posted a season-high 13 points with four rebounds. Machado had nine points with a team-high seven rebounds and five assists.
USF edged the Gaels from the field shooting 47.9% to the visitors 46.2%. Iona edged the Bulls on the boards, 27-26. The difference in the contest was South Florida's hot shooting from behind the arc with 10 trifectas on 20 attempts. The Gaels were just 3-for-13.
With the loss, the Gaels completed a four-game road trip and return to the Hynes Center for MAAC play on Thursday (Jan. 1) against Rider.
