Bulls run to CBI title

CHICAGO – South Florida led from start to finish in capturing the 12th annual Roman College Basketball Invitational with 77-65 win at DePaul in the decisive third game.

In so doing, the Bulls become the first team since Loyola Chicago in 2015 to win a Finals game on the road and just the third to win a Game 3 on the road, joining Oregon State (2009) and Santa Clara (2013).

David Collins scored a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists to lead USF and earn Roman CBI Most Valuable Player honors. Justin Brown tallied 12 points and Laquincy Rideau had 10 points and five assists.

As a team, the Bulls were 28-of-58 from the field while holding DePaul to 18-of-56 shooting.

It wasn’t easy for USF, which led 37-20 before the Blue Demons went on a 14-2 run to end the first half and put the score at 39-34 in favor of the visitors. The lead eventually shrank to one when Femi Olujobi’s layup with 17:41 to play made it a 41-40 game. However, USF would outscore DePaul 16-7 over the next 8:15, capped by an Alexis Yetna 3-pointer at 9:26 to give the Bulls a 57-47 lead. The Blue Demons would not get closer than six points the rest of the way.

Devin Gage, who missed the previous three games while in concussion protocol, led DePaul with 19 points. Max Strus had 16 points, giving him the CBI scoring record of 160 points for the tournament, breaking the previous mark of 158 set by Kevin Foster of Santa Clara in 2013. Strus also had six rebounds for the game. Olujobi ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Paul Reed had 11 points and eight boards.

USF ends the season at 24-14, marking the most wins in school history. DePaul closes out with a 19-17 record.

About Roman
Roman is a direct-to-consumer telehealth company that handles everything from diagnosis to the convenient delivery of medication for many common male health conditions. Rated one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2019 and featured in The New York Times, Tech Crunch, Men’s Health, and Forbes, Roman is working hard to help men tackle their health issues.

About the Gazelle Group
The College Basketball Invitational is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, the Sunshine Slam, and the Gotham Classic. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com

Photo Above: Stephen Carrera