Game Details
FIU 65, USF 53
FIU (5-4), USF (4-6)
Tampa, Fla. | USF Sun Dome
 
The Basics
- The FIU men's basketball team tipped off its short two-game Sunshine State road trip on Monday with a 65-53 win over USF at the Sun Dome in Tampa. The win is the third-straight for the Panthers and improves their record to 5-4 on the year while the Bulls drop to 4-6 on the season.
 
- Brian Beard, Jr. (Rancho Cucamonga, California) led FIU in scoring with a career-high 28 points, while Eric Lockett (Warner Robins, Georgia) added 18 points and Hassan Hussein (Lorton, Virginia) chipped in with a career-high 13 points in the win. Lockett also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for his second career double-double and his second of the season.
 
- Beard, Jr. put together a complete game for the Panthers dishing out six assists, recording a career-high six steals and grabbing five rebounds in 36 minutes. His six steals equals the most in a game in Conference USA, joining Lockett.
 
- After shooting just 33.3 percent (11-for-33) from the field, including just 14.3 percent (1-for-7) from behind the three-point arc, and trailing by one at the intermission, 25-24, FIU came out of the locker room following the break and used a 13-4 run to start the half and take its biggest lead of the contest, eight points, 37-29. The Panthers extended the advantage to as many as 13 points, 42-29, on a deep three-point shot by Beard, Jr. with 14:15 left in the contest. USF battled back and cut the lead to seven points, twice in the final one-plus minute of the contest, but did not get any closer.
 
- FIU finished the game shooting 40-7 percent (24-for-59) from the field in the win. In addition, despite being outrebounded, 45-40, including 13-9 on the offensive glass, the Panthers forced the Bulls into 18 turnovers that led to 18 points on the night.
 
The Turning Point
After trailing 25-24 at the half, FIU put together a 13-4 run that gave the Panthers a double-digit advantage on USF for the majority of the second half. The Bulls were not able to recover and get closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
Stat of the Game
The Panthers shot under 30 percent for most of the first half, and finished the first stanza hitting just 33.3 percent of their shots from the field, including 14.3 percent from three-point range. In the second half FIU turned the tides and hit for 50 percent (13-for-26) of its shots from the floor, and 50 percent (3-for-6) from three-point range.  
 
Notable
- Tonight's starters for FIU were: G Trejon Jacob (Raleigh, North Carolina) , G Brian Beard, Jr., G Eric Lockett, F Hassan Hussein, C Elhadji Dieng (Mbour, Senegal) … The Panthers are 2-3 with this starting five.

- FIU improves its record to 2-13 all-time against USF (actual on-court record is 3-13, however one win was vacated due to NCAA sanctions) … It was the Panthers' first win over the Bulls since Feb. 28, 1989, a 92-91 triumph in Tampa … It is FIU's first-ever win over USF in Tampa.

- FIU's win over USF is its first Division I non-conference road win since a 66-49 victory at Binghamton on Dec. 22, 2015.

- G Eric Lockett's 18 points marks his eighth double-figure scoring game of the season and the 12^th of his career … Lockett has netted double figures in 10 of his last 12 games dating back to the end 2016-17 season.

- G Brian Beard, Jr.'s career-high 28 points marks his seventh double-figure scoring performance of the season, and the seventh-straight.

- Beard. Jr. also recorded a career-high steals on the night against Bulls, with all six coming in the second half … His six steals equals the single-game high in Conference USA that he now shares with teammate Eric Lockett.

- Hassan Hussein's career-high 13 points marks his second double-figure scoring outing of the season – and his second-straight – and the third of his career. 

Up Next
FIU closes out its short two-game road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 13 when it travels to Jacksonville to face North Florida. Tipoff against the Ospreys is slated for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3. The Panthers return to Miami for a season-long six-game stretch, beginning on Dec. 16, against James Madison (7:30 p.m.). The JMU game will be played at Barry University in Miami Shores, due to scheduling conflicts in the Ocean Bank Convocation Center that arose due to Hurricane Irma.

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