Bulls Take Winning Streak on Road Tuesday at FIU

Bulls Take Winning Streak on Road Tuesday at FIU

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Matchup: USF (7-2) vs. FIU (8-2)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 18
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Miami | Ocean Bank Convention Center
TV: CUSA.tv
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Joey Johnston)
Follow: Listen | Watch | Live Stats | Twitter

TAMPA, DEC. 17, 2018 – The USF men's basketball team takes its three-game winning streak south to Miami for a matchup with in-state foe FIU Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Ocean Bank Convention Center.  

USF (7-2) returned to the hardwood for the first time in 14 days on Saturday and posted a 76-69 victory over Appalachian State behind 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds by redshirt freshman Alexis Yetna (Paris). Yetna leads the American Athletic Conference and ranks 17th in the NCAA with 10.1 rebounds per game and is also atop the conference with four double-doubles. On Monday, Yetna was selected as the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week.

Redshirt junior Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) added a team-high 18 points Saturday against the Mountaineers to go along with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Rideau stands second on the team with 12.3 points per game and ranks second in The American with 5.7 assists per game.

Freshman Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) scored a career-high 12 points against the Mountaineers and made four free throws in the final 1:12 to hold off a late comeback attempt and help the Bulls to the victory.

Sophomore David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) paces the USF offense with 15.4 points per game and ranks eighth in the NCAA with 2.8 steals per game. Senior T.J. Lang (Mobile, Ala.) tops the Bulls with 16 three-pointers made.

THE OPPONENT
FIU (8-2) has won five of its last six games and is coming off a 102-89 victory over North Florida on Thursday to mark the fifth time this season the Panthers have reached the century mark. FIU enters play Tuesday averaging 96.6 points per game and ranks second in the NCAA in scoring. The Panthers have scored over 80 points all nine of their 10 games thus far.

Senior guard Brian Beard Jr. leads the FIU offense with 22.6 points per game and poured in 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals Thursday against North Florida. Devon Andrews (15.6 ppg), Trejon Jacob (12.0 ppg) and Willy Nunez Jr. (12.0 ppg) also score on double figures for a Panther offense that outscores its opponents by 11.5 points per game.    

Notable
  • USF is 13-3 against FIU in the all-time series that dates back to the 1986-87 season.  
  • USF is in search of its first four-game winning streak since the 2013-14 season.
  • USF is aiming to start a season with eight wins over its first 10 games for the 11th time in school history.
  • USF is playing in its first true road game of the season.
  • USF is in search of its first 8-2 start to a season since the 2013-14 season.
  • Alexis Yetna is averaging 13.9 points and 11.1 rebounds over his past seven games.
  • USF ranks 21st in the NCAA with 8.9 steals per game.
  • USF ranks 18th in the NCAA and first in The American with 9.0 steals per game.
  • Alexis Yetna leads The American in rebounding with 10.1 per game.  
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14. 

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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