CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior guard Dominique Jones poured in 16 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to propel South Florida over UNC Wilmington, 74-66, for third place in the Charleston Classic Sunday at Carolina First Arena.

      The Bulls finished the eight-team event with a 2-1 record and improved to 4-1 on the season. The Seahawks wound up 1-2 at the tourney and stand 1-4 overall on the campaign.

      "South Florida got after us in the second half and really pressured the ball," said fourth-year UNCW coach Benny Moss. "We have to value the basketball. They cut off the passing lanes and their pressure bothered us."

      Jones, a 6-4, 215-pounder from Lake Wales, Fla, led all scorers in the contest with his total on 9-for-17 shooting. Sophomore forward Augustus Gilchrist added 14 points - all in the second half - and junior forward Jarrid Famous chipped in 13 for the Bulls, who shot 51.9 percent from the field.

      Junior point guard Chad Tomko and junior center John Fields scored 17 points for UNCW, which was outscored, 17-6, at the free throw line. Fields wound up a double-double after pulling down 15 rebounds.

      Tomko was selected to the Charleston Classic's All-Tournament Team with MVP Dwayne Collins of Miami, Devan Downey of South Carolina, Rodney Green of La Salle and Jones.  

      USF took a 37-32 lead into halftime after surviving a see-saw first half and then watched as UNCW attempted several runs after the break.

      After UNCW closed the gap to 48-46 on a jumper by Tomko from the corner with just under 12 minutes remaining, Famous added a dunk and a free throw and Augustus made the first of two free throws to extend the lead back to 52-46.

      The lead swelled to 12 points when Jones scored eight consecutive points late in the second stanza. A steal and layup by the versatile guard with 4:50 remaining pushed the margin to 64-52 and the Bulls still led, 68-60, at the one-minute mark.

      UNCW made a last ditch effort when Tomko converted a free throw and Johnny Wolf drained a trifecta to trim the deficit to 68-64, with 38 seconds left. USF closed the game out in strong fashion to take a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.

      USF scored the first four polnts of the contest before the Seahawks regrouped to grab an early 12-5 lead behind a 10-0 spurt. Fields scored six points in the streak, which was capped by Will Ohuaregbe's putback that gave the Seahawks a 12-5 edge with 15:08 left in the first half.

      With Gilchrist, USF's leading scorer and rebounding, on the bench with two fouls, Famous helped the Bulls cut into the deficit with eight points in a rally that ended up with USF taking a 23-20 advantage. Famous slammed home a dunk with 9:51 remaining to give USF a slim three-point lead.

      UNCW scored seven unanswered points to regain the lead briefly, 27-24, before USF outscored the Seahawks, 14-5, over the final seven minutes for a 37-32 lead at intermission. The Bulls scored 15 of their 37 first-half points off turnovers and 18 points in the paint in the first period.

      The Seahawks play four of their next five games at Trask Coliseum, beginning with a 7 p.m. matchup against VMI.

      GAME NOTES: It was the first meeting between the two schools since Jan. 2, 1992...UNCW now stands 2-15 lifetime against the Big East Conference...USF has used the same starting lineup in all five games this season...UNCW shot 51.9 percent and USF connected on 56.0 percent in the first half...USF played just seven players in the game...The two teams combined for 5-for-27 from 3-point range...UNCW committed 18 turnovers and USF had 15 miscues...The Seahawks only attempted 10 free throws, compared to 28 for the Bulls...UNCW outrebounded its opponent for the first time this season by winning the battle of the boards, 37-29.