Beard scores 28, FIU beats South Florida 65-53

Dec 12, 2017, 02:26 am

TAMPA, Fla. -- Brian Beard Jr. scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and Florida International beat South Florida 65-53 on Monday night.

Eric Lockett made 8 of 11 from the floor and had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Golden Panthers (5-4), who won their third straight. Hassan Hussein added 13 points.

FIU made eight of its first 10 shots in the second half, pulling away with a 20-6 start to the period for a 44-31 lead on Hussein's jumper with 12:58 left. The Panthers cooled off from the floor but mostly maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

South Florida (4-6) led 25-24 at halftime and, after falling behind in the second, closed within seven with just more than a minute to play.

Isaiah Manderson had 12 points, Stephan Jiggetts scored 10 and Tulio Da Silva had a career-high 17 rebounds for the Bulls.