BUFFALO, N.Y. - South Florida men’s basketball’s comeback attempt came up just short as the 11th seeded Bulls fell to No. 6 Louisville 83-79 in an NCAA Tournament first round game in the East Regional. 

Trailing 62-39 with just under 13 minutes remaining, the Bulls forged back. Showing the grit that earned them American Conference regular season and tournament titles this season, South Florida battled back over the final 12+ minutes, cutting its deficit to four points before running out of time.  

Joseph Pinion scored 22 of his career-high 27 points in the second half, making four of his five made three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.  Pinyon also added seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Isaiyah Nelson scored 22 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double, and Gavin Hightower came off the bench to score 12 points with four rebounds, three assists, and four steals. 

South Florida forced 22 Louisville turnovers and converted them into 22 points. The Bulls took advantage of 18 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second-chance points.