Bulls Top Loyola Marymount to Reach CBI Finals

TAMPA, MARCH 28, 2019 – Alexis Yetna registered his league-leading 14th double-double of the season and the USF men’s basketball team advanced to the finals of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) with a 56-47 victory over Loyola Marymount Thursday evening at the Yuengling Center.

Yetna (Paris) scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and has posted a double-double in all three games of the tournament. David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) added 11 points and three steals to help the Bulls tie the single-season school record for wins.

Mattias Markusson, James Batemon and Erik Johansson all scored nine points for Loyola Marymount.

Johansson put Loyola Marymount ahead 17-10 with a three-pointer at the 8:44 mark of the first half, but USF responded with a 10-1 run to take a 20-18 lead after three free throws by Mayan Kiir (Bradenton, Fla.). Markusson scored in the final minute to tie the game at 22 heading into halftime.

USF (22-13) used a 22-7 run to open the second half to build a 44-29 lead on a layup by Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) Loyola Marymount held USF without a field goal over the next 6:46 to cut the lead to three points with just under five minutes remaining. Collins ended the drought with an old fashioned three-point play to put the Bulls ahead by six.

Loyola Marymount (22-12) managed just two field goals over the final 6:33 as USF held its fifth opponent this season to under 50 points.

Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory’s thoughts on the win…
“We’ve played three games in this tournament and we’ve played three great teams. Loyola Marymount had a great year and you can see why. They are the best defensive team in that league, and that’s the league with Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and San Francisco. We’re pretty good defensively too, and that’s kind of what the game was. It was a defensive battle and what happened during that stretch where we extended the lead was our defense leading to some really good offense. We were able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets. I’m really, really happy for T.J. Lang. He was tremendous today. He’s been really good in all three games and made some critical three-pointers for us. It’s a great win for our program, a great win for our guys and now we get to keep playing.”

Key Stats
22-7 – The Bulls went on a 22-7 run to take a 15-point lead midway through the second half.
14 – Alexis Yetna recorded his league-leading 14th double-double of the season.
32 – USF scored 32 points in the paint.

Notables

USF tied the single-season school record with 22 wins.
Alexis Yetna moved into third place on the USF single-season rebound list with 318.
David Collins has now made the second-most single-season free throws in school history with 193.
USF will play a game in the month of April for the first time in school history.
USF has held five teams to fewer than 50 points this season.
USF has won 12 more games than it did all of last season.
USF won three postseason games in the same season for the first time in school history.
USF is 18-4 at home against non-conference competition under head coach Brian Gregory.

Up Next
USF will host DePaul Monday at 7 p.m. in game one of the best-of-three championship series. Games two and three (if necessary) will be played in Chicago at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

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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.