TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — South Florida used a strong first half and superior perimeter shooting to defeat East Carolina 82-71 in a men’s college basketball game Wednesday night at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls built a 44-31 halftime lead behind 12 first-half points from Josh Omojafo, who finished with 18. South Florida connected on 12 3-pointers and forced 10 turnovers. Jordan Riley led all scorers with 25 points for the Pirates, and Giovanni Emejuru added 17 points and six blocks.

East Carolina closed the gap to 66-64 midway through the second half, but a 9-0 run by South Florida secured the win. Wes Enis scored 14 points for the Bulls, who improved to 11-6. The Pirates fell to 5-12.