The University of South Florida men's basketball team closed the regular season in dominant fashion Sunday afternoon, defeating Charlotte 83–60 at the Yuengling Center.
South Florida improved to 23–8 overall and 15–3 in the American Conference, finishing the regular season riding a nine-game winning streak.
The victory marked the Bulls' 15th conference win of the season, marking the second-most conference wins in program history.
Joseph Pinion led the Bulls with 22 points and four 3-pointers, and Wes Enis added 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The pair continued their historic race up the record book, with both players reaching 100 made 3-pointers on the season, making South Florida just the 12th team in NCAA Division I history with two players to reach the mark in the same campaign.
South Florida also set a new single-season program record of 300 team 3-pointers.
Izaiyah Nelson finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Isaiah Jones added 10 points off the bench. Daimion Collins contributed nine points and six rebounds, and CJ Brown recorded seven points and six assists.
Charlotte jumped out to an early 8–1 lead, but the momentum quickly shifted as the pace of the game accelerated. Enis sparked the turnaround with a deep three-pointer at the 15:57 mark, tying the program's single-season record with his 97th three of the year.
South Florida forced the 49ers into their high-tempo style and began chipping away at the deficit, highlighted by Izaiyah Nelson's alley-oop dunk at the 14:48 mark. A Charlotte turnover followed moments later, and the Bulls capitalized - continuing to convert turnovers into points at one of the highest rates in the conference.
South Florida took their first lead midway through the half as Isaiah Jones grabbed an offensive rebound and finished a tip-in at the 11:12 mark, then followed it with a three-pointer at 10:24 to put the Bulls ahead 19–17.
Brown continued to anticipate plays well and distribute the ball at a high level, but proved he's just as comfortable attacking the rim himself, finishing a driving layup to extend the run. Brown also helped set up the Bulls' offense during the stretch, assisting Pinion on a three-pointer at the 5:50 mark and layup at 4:12. Pinion's veteran presence showed throughout the half as well, contributing on rebounds and moving the ball unselfishly as South Florida built an 8–0 run.
South Florida's defense began to tighten as the half progressed. Charlotte went more than four minutes without a field goal, failing to convert from 8:25 until 3:49 and managing only a single free throw during that stretch. The defensive pressure allowed the Bulls to create separation and continue controlling the tempo.
The closing minutes turned into a back-and-forth record chase between Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion from beyond the arc. Pinion knocked down a three-pointer at the 3:29 mark to record his 200th career three while also hitting his 97th of the season, tying Enis for the program's single-season record. Enis answered moments later with a three-pointer at the 2:40 mark to reclaim the record with his 98th of the season before Isaiah Jones added another three-pointer at 2:07.
South Florida took a 44–29 lead into halftime as Pinion and Enis combined for 23 of the Bulls' first-half points. The Bulls knocked down seven 3-pointers, controlled the tempo and held advantages in bench points (13–3), fast-break points (9–0), second-chance points (11–5), points in the paint (18–12) and points off turnovers (12–0).
South Florida carried that momentum straight into the second half as Enis quickly extended the lead with another deep three-pointer, setting a new program record with his 99th made three of the season. Moments later, Pinion followed with another triple that gave the Bulls their 296th three of the season, breaking the team's single-season record.
Wes Enis added another milestone at the 15:21 mark, knocking down his fourth three of the night to record his 100th of the season. The shot set a new program record and marked his 71st three-pointer in conference play.
The Bulls' defensive pressure intensified as the half progressed. Charlotte struggled to generate clean looks and missed nine consecutive shots while South Florida continued to find open shooters and high-percentage opportunities at the rim.
Pinion threw down a transition dunk at the 10:48 mark before Nelson followed with a windmill dunk at 9:30 to cap a 9–0 run. The sequence pushed South Florida's lead to 26 and forced a Charlotte timeout as the season-high crowd of 6,710 erupted.
The Bulls' largest lead of the game reached 32 points as the second half continued to unfold, showcasing the balanced offensive attack that has made this group the highest-scoring team in South Florida history.
South Florida had 23 assists on 27 made field goals by the 5:30 mark because of good ball movement to create open looks Charlotte could not adjust to.
Pinion continued the three-point surge with his fourth three of the night at the 5:57 mark, giving him 99 on the season. CJ Brown added a driving layup at the 2:49 mark before Pinion delivered another milestone moments later. His three-pointer at 2:18 marked his 100th of the season, joining Wes Enis in reaching the century mark from beyond the arc and making South Florida just the 12th Division I team in NCAA history to have two players record 100 three-pointers in the same season.
On a day celebrating the program's seniors, South Florida delivered another record-setting performance in an 83–60 victory while continuing the highest-scoring season in program history.
