Bulls Back At It Thursday Against Bethune-Cookman

Bulls Back At It Thursday Against Bethune-Cookman

Matchup: Bethune-Cookman (5-5) at USF (4-6)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Tampa, Fla. | Sun Dome (10,411)
TV: Bullsvision (Jim Louk, Darek Sharp)
Radio: AM 820 | USF Bulls Unlimited (Jim Lighthall, Neil Solondz)
Tickets: USFBullsTix.com
Follow: Listen | Stats | Twitter

TAMPA, FLA., Dec. 13, 2017 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team returns to the court on Thursday night against Bethune-Cookman. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls got stellar performances from their post players on Monday night against Florida International but were unable to come away with a victory, dropping the contest 65-53. The Bulls' four post players (Tulio Da Silva, Isaiah Manderson, Malik Martin and Nikola Scekic) accounted for 26 of USF's 60 shots on the night and 12 of the 20 made baskets.

Manderson led the Bulls in scoring, finishing with 12 points on 6-of-8 from the field. His 12 points were two off of a career high, which he set on Dec. 2 at Appalachian State. Manderson also pulled down four rebounds.

Da Silva had one of the best rebounding performances in recent memory for the Bulls, grabbing 17 boards including five on the offensive end. The 17 rebounds are the most by an American Athletic Conference player this season and the most in a single game by a USF player since Chris Perry also had 17 on Nov. 13, 2015 against Troy.

The Bulls will be looking to snap a four-game skid, with its last victory coming on Nov. 24 against Arkansas State.

  
THE OPPONENT 

Bethune-Cookman (5-5) faces a quick turnaround after defeating Cal Poly at home in Daytona Beach on Tuesday night, 67-53. Junior guard Malik Maitland played all 40 minutes for the Wildcats in the contest and led the team in scoring with 21 points. The team's second-leading scorer was Shawntrez Davis, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Bethune-Cookman faced Cal Poly without its leading scorer, as senior guard/forward Brandon Tabb is suspended indefinitely. His status for Thursday's game is unknown.

The Wildcats' home victory was their fifth of the season, bringing them into a tie for the MEAC lead with North Carolina A&T. BCU did not reach five wins until Feb. 6 last season, and it is the fastest it has reached five wins since the 2009-10 season.

Bethune-Cookman is playing under first-year head coach Ryan Riddle. Riddle brought back six players from last season, including Tabb.

NOTABLES

  • Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md.) needs only 18 points to reach 1,000 for his career. He scored 863 points at Fairleigh Dickinson before arriving at USF this season, and leads all Bulls in career points scored.
  • Isaiah Manderson (Bronx, N.Y.) is shooting 55.2 percent (16-for-29) through his first four games of the season and is third on the  team in scoring with 9.0 points per game.
  • Terrence Samuel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ranks second in the conference and 25th nationally in free throw percentage. Samuel is shooting 92.1 percent (35-for-38) from the line this season.
  • The Bulls have the 22nd-best three point field goal defense in the country this season, holding opponents to only 28.6 percent (60-for-210) from beyond the arc.

About USF Men's Basketball

The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 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.

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.

– #GoBulls –

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