The Marquette men's basketball team lost its first conference game of the season Friday in Tampa, Fla., falling 57-56 to South Florida.

The Golden Eagles (20-3, 9-1 Big East) trailed the majority of the first half before piecing together a 10-2 run midway through the second half to take a 47-42 lead with 8:13 remaining. But a strong finish by Bulls senior guard Jesus Verdejo (21 points) buried Marquette for good.

Marquette shot just 38.9 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from 3-point range (4-for-24) and 43.5 percent from the free throw line (10-for-23).

South Florida didn't shoot the best either, but was able to take utilize a 12-6 advantage in fast break points.

Jerel McNeal led the Golden Eagles with 22 points and four rebounds before fouling out with under a minute left. Senior guards Dominic James and Wesley Matthews added 11 points apiece and junior forward Lazar Hayward pulled down 14 rebounds.

Marquette, ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Top 25 continues its road trip Tuesday, taking on No. 13-ranked Villanova (19-4, 7-3 Big East).