TAMPA, Fla. - For one half, the IUPUI basketball team played South Florida evenly in Wednesday's opening game of the Cayman Islands Classic, hosted by the Bulls inside Yuengling Center. In the second half, the Jaguars were the flat out better team as IUPUI rolled to a 70-53 victory behind a season-high 26 points and nine rebounds from junior Marcus Burk. Junior Jaylen Minnett fired off 17 points and a career-high seven assists and Isaiah Williams closed with nine points in the win. 

Burk and Minnett combined to hit 8-of-14 from three-point range and the Jags shot 51 percent overall and 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from deep to stun the host Bulls. Laquincy Rideau led USF (1-2) with 15 points and seven steals before fouling out and Rashaun Williams contributed 11 points in the loss. 

"We played great team basketball. Jaylen was on fire in the first half and we really fed off his energy," Burk said. "My teammates did a great job of finding me in the right spots for backdoor cuts and threes."

IUPUI (2-2) held the Bulls without a field goal for over nine minutes in the second half after USF's Antun Maricevic dropped in a jump hook with 11:18 to play to cut the Jaguars' lead to 49-48. Williams capped a Jaguars' 12-0 run by flipping in a tough layup on the right block and sprinting the other way with both arms flexed for all to see. 

The run extended to 16-1 before Madut Akec dropped in a layup with 1:56 to play and the outcome securely on the Jaguars' side. 

"I'm very proud of how hard our guys played. They are finally trusting the process. They are now accepting of their roles," Rimm II said. "Certain guys are going to shoot more than others. Others will have a better focus on defense, others will rebound and set screens.

"As long as we compete and listen, we will have a chance to be successful."

USF built a 19-12 lead in the game's early going before the Jags retaliated with a quick 7-0 run. Burk started the run with a pull-up and then Jamil Jackson Jr. followed by swishing a three. After forcing a turnover, Mike DePersia dropped a sweet dime to Zo Tyson for a two-handed jam to tie the game at 19 all. Minnett helped stake the Jaguars to a 38-36 halftime advantage, scoring 15 points before the break, including hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and three free throws after he was fouled on an attempt early in the stanza.

The game stayed tight for the first nine minutes of the second half before the Jags turned up the defensive pressure and mixed in a zone look to stymie the Bulls. USF finished the game shooting just 37 percent overall and a paltry 21.7 percent from three-point range. 

The Jags also forced 23 turnovers and converted them into a 27-15 advantage in points off turnovers. Minnett collected four steals to match his career-high. 

Grant Weatherford finished with six points and three boards in 34 minutes off the Jaguars' bench and DePersia closed with four points, four boards and three assists. 

Wednesday's win was IUPUI's first-ever over an AAC foe. 

IUPUI will continue the Cayman Islands Classic next Wednesday (Nov. 20) when the Jaguars trek to Chicago to face Loyola University at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. That game will be aired on ESPN+ and NBC Sports Chicago+.