Conference USA Jan. 26 Men's Basketball Recap and Can't Miss Weekend Matches

Middle Tennessee is the lone C-USA team with a perfect record in league play.

Conference USA

Middle Tennessee remained unbeaten in Conference USA play with a 72-56 victory over Southern Miss. The Blue Raiders are now 18-3 on the season. Tonight’s results also created a three-way tie for second place in the C-USA standings as Marshall won its 12th-straight home game, defeating UTSA 92-71. The Herd is now tied with UAB and Louisiana Tech after the Blazers earned a 79-70 win.

Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Old Dominion each picked up key road wins as we near the midpoint of the conference slate, while WKU snapped a four-game skid with a 65-62 win over UTEP.

Standings/Results [PDF]

Statistics [PDF]

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
at (RV) Middle Tennessee 72, Southern Miss 56
at Marshall 92, UTSA 71
Florida Atlantic 83, at FIU 65
Charlotte 82, at North Texas 81
Old Dominion 80, at Rice 72
at WKU 65, UTEP 62
at UAB 79, Louisiana Tech 70

SHOOTING STARS

(RV) MIDDLE TENNESSEE 72, SOUTHERN MISS 56: Junior Giddy Potts (Athens, Ala.) led MT with 19 points and eight rebounds as the Blue Raiders improved to 8-0 in Conference USA play, and 18-3 overall, with a 72-56 win over Southern Miss. Freshman G Tyrik Dixon (Bentonville, Ark.) tossed in a career-high 21 points. Sophomore G Cortez Edwards (Kissimmee, Fla.) matched Dixon with a career-best 21 for the Golden Eagles.
Quotable: "I say it all the time that every league game has a life of its own, it's almost like a season in itself because you have to win games in so many different ways. I thought they had a really good plan. I was proud of our team and excited about the win. It's a good win for the Raiders.” – Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis

MARSHALL 92, UTSA 71: Five Marshall players scored in double-figures as the Herd improved to 11-0 at home with a 92-71 victory over UTSA. Senior Austin Loop (South Webster, Ohio) nailed six three-pointers and led the way with 18 points. Loop needs just two more treys to set the school record for three-pointers made, and six more to enter the top 10 in C-USA history. Junior Jon Elmore (Charleston, W.Va.) registered his fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists. UTSA junior G Gino Littles (Phoenix, Ariz.) neared a double-double himself with a season-high 15 points and a career-best eight rebounds. Freshman Mitar Stanojevic (Belgrade, Serbia) reached double figures for the first time in his career with 10 points, going 5-for-5 from the floor, all in the second half.
Quotable: "We had great ball movement, [Austin] Loop, our wings and other guys made key shots. It was a credit to our team; great win.” – Marshall junior guard Jon Elmore

UAB 79, LOUISIANA TECH 70: UAB snapped Louisiana Tech’s four-game win streak with a 79-70 victory at Bartow Arena. Both teams are now tied with Marshall for second place in the C-USA standings. Senior Dirk Williams (Homewood, Ala.) led the Blazers with 17 points and junior Chris Cokley (Savannah, Ga.) added 15. William Lee (Plantersville, Ala.) registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards. LA Tech senior Erik McCree (Orlando, Fla.) posted his conference-best 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

WKU 65, UTEP 62: WKU got back on the winning track, edging UTEP, 65-62, behind a 25-point performance from graduate transfer Pancake Thomas (Baton Rouge, La.). Thomas has now scored 1,021 career points, including his season at WKU as well as stints at New Mexico and Hartford. Junior Justin Johnson (Hazard, Ky.) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. UTEP had its three-game win streak come to an end. Senior Matt Willms (Leamington, Ontario) was 13-of-16 from the field and finished with a game-high 27 points.
Quotable: "Before the game. I was just hitting shots and most of them were going in. I was doing a competition, like best out of ten, and I was making 8s and 9s so I knew I was on tonight.” – WKU senior Pancake Thomas

OLD DOMINION 80, RICE 72: In his first appearance following a Jan. 5 injury, junior Brandan Stith (Lawrenceville, Va.) recorded his 18th career double-double to lead the Monarchs to an 80-72 road win at Rice. Stith scored 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore F Zoran Talley (Merrillville, Ind.) added 15 points, six assists and four rebounds. Junior G Randy Haynes (Dumfries, Va.) scored a career-high 14 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Rice connected on a season-high 16 three-pointers on the night. Sophomore Marcus Evans (Chesapeake, Va.) led the Owls with 23 points, including 6-of-7 shooting from deep.
Quotable: “This was a very good team win tonight. A lot of guys stepped up and played well and I think ultimately that was the difference. Our defense was terrific, but I think our aggressiveness and balance offensively with five different guys in double-figures was a really good sign for us.” – Old Dominion head coach Jeff Jones

FLORIDA ATLANTIC 83, FIU 65: Florida Atlantic accomplished the sweep over its Sunshine State rival with an 83-65 victory at FIU Thursday night. Senior Adonis Filer (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore Gerdarius Troutman (Butler, Ga.) tossed in 18 points apiece to help the Owls snap a four-game losing skid. FAU made a 15-1 run midway through the second half to pull away for the win. Senior Donte McGill (Newark, Del.) led the Panthers with 15 points.

CHARLOTTE 82, NORTH TEXAS 81: Reigning C-USA Player of the Week Jon Davis (Upper Marlboro, Md.) scored 19 points to lead six 49ers in double-figure scoring as Charlotte rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat host North Texas, 82-81. The 49ers were especially hot from the free throw line in the second half, hitting 17-of-18 shots. Junior G Austin Ajukwa (Columbia, S.C.) registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Mean Green freshman A.J. Lawson (Bryan, Texas) had a big night with a game-high 23 points and 12 boards.

C-USA UPCOMING SCHEDULE
(All times Central)

Saturday, January 28
Old Dominion at North Texas (CUSA.tv) - 2:00p
UTSA at WKU (FCS) - 3:00p
Louisiana Tech at (RV) Middle Tennessee (ESPN3) - 5:00p
UTEP at Marshall (CUSA.tv) - 6:00p
Charlotte at Rice (CUSA.tv) - 7:00p
Southern Miss at UAB (CUSA.tv) - 7:00p

Conference games in BOLD.

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2016-17 C-USA Men's Basketball Fact Book

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