MIAMI, DEC. 18, 2018 – Laquincy Rideau scored 28 points and USF held FIU to 23 points under its season average en route to an 82-73 victory Tuesday evening at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

FIU (8-3) entered play ranked second in the NCAA in scoring with an average of 96.6 points per game and had scored at least 80 points in all but one of its 10 games this season. Panther senior guard Brian Beard began the night averaging a team-high 22.6 points per game, but USF limited him to four points on 0-for-8 shooting from the field.

Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) hit a career-high four three-pointers and added seven rebounds, nine assists and five steals to help USF secure its fourth straight win, marking the first time since the 2013-14 season the Bulls have won four consecutive games.

David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) added 16 points and Alexis Yetna (Paris) finished one point shy of a double-double with 13 rebounds and nine points. Sophomore Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) chipped in with 13 points and made three 3-pointers after making his first start of the season. USF connected for a season-high 10 triples and finished 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from beyond the arc to record the second-highest single game three-point percentage in school history.

USF (8-2) raced to an 11-point lead midway through the first half before FIU used an 8-0 run to pull within three points. Rideau scored seven of the next nine point for USF to push the lead up to eight. Three-pointers from

Rideau and Brown over the final two minutes gave USF a 14-point lead at halftime.

Brown gave USF its largest lead of the game with a three-pointer in the corner to up the advantage to 23 points six minutes into the second half. FIU answered with a 22-6 run to crawl within seven points with just under nine minutes remaining.

The Bulls would use free throws over the final eight minutes to hold off FIU on their way to opening the season with eight wins over the first 10 games for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory's thoughts on the game:
"I thought it was a great road win for our team and I thought our point guard (Laquincy Rideau) completely dominated the game."

Key Stats
10 – USF finished with a season-high 10 three-pointers made.
18 – USF scored 18 second chance points off 12 offensive rebounds.
71.4 – USF shot 71.4 percent from three-point range and held FIU to 21.7 percent from down town.
15 – USF with a season-high 15 steals and scored 24 points off turnovers.

Notable

• USF has started the season with an 8-2 record for the first time since 2013-14.
• USF improved to 14-3 all-time against FIU and is 5-2 in games played in Miami.
• Alexis Yetna recorded his fifth double-digit rebounding performance of the season.
• USF is 4-0 this season with Justin Brown makes at least two 3-pointers.
• Justin Brown made his first start of the season.
• USF recorded its first four-game winning streak since the 2013-14 season.

Up Next
USF returns to action Friday at 7 p.m. when the Bulls host Alcorn State on ESPN3 from the Yuengling Center. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

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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 10^th 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.