TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—South Florida beat Southern Methodist 60-46 in the season opener for both teams as the Bulls’ Jesus Verdejo scored 18 points, 11 of which came in the second half.
Verdejo scored 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to twice put the Bulls ahead by 14.
Dominique Jones chipped in with 13 for the Bulls. South Florida converted six of their 21 3-point attempts, four of which came from Verdejo.
Derek Williams scored 13 points and fellow guard Paul McCoy had 10 to pace the Mustangs, who hit only 27.7 percent (13-for-47) from the field.
Alex Rivas Sanchez hit back-to-back shots to give South Florida its first lead, 18-17, with 6:44 left in the first half. The Bulls led 32-23 at the break despite missing 10 of 12 attempts from behind the arc.
The two teams last met in 1987, with SMU beating South Florida 87-66.
