South Florida refused to go quietly into the night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, staging a furious second half rally that had the KeyBank Center in Buffalo buzzing before No. 6 Louisville finally slammed the door on its March Madness dreams.

Down 62-39 with under 13 minutes to play, the 11th-seeded Bulls summoned the spirit that carried them to American Conference regular season and tournament crowns. They clawed, scrapped and surged, slicing the deficit to four points in the closing minutes before time ran out in an 83-79 heartbreaker.

Joseph Pinion poured in 22 of his career-high 27 points after the break. The USF sharpshooter drained four of his five treys in the final 20 minutes, while also padding the stat sheet with seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Isaiyah Nelson matched Pinion’s scoring punch with 22 points of his own and came close to a double-double, grabbing nine boards. Off the bench, Gavin Hightower provided a spark with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals, helping fuel the comeback charge.

The Bulls turned defense into offense, forcing 22 Louisville turnovers and cashing them in for 22 points. They owned the glass on the offensive end too, hauling in 18 offensive rebounds that translated into 15 crucial second-chance buckets.

In the end, USF, the American’s sole qualifier for the tournament, ran out of clock and Louisville advanced to the second round.

Meanwhile, fellow league members Tulsa and Wichita State are still alive in the postseason after securing first round victories Tuesday in the NIT. The Golden Hurricane defeated Stephen F. Austin and will match up with UNLV while the Shockers bested Wyoming and will face Oklahoma State. Both of the second round contests will tip off Sunday in Tulsa.