Game Notes PDF

USF “Bulls” (10-5, 0-2 BIG EAST) vs. RV/RV Syracuse “Orange” (13-2, 1-1 BIG EAST)
Game No. 16
January 12, 2008, 7 p.m.
USF Sun Dome (10,411)
Tampa, Florida

Television: Catch 47
Play-by-Play: Drew Fellios
Color Commentary: Amanda Miller

Radio/Internet: 1010 Sports/GoUSFBulls.com
Play-by-Play: Garrett Walvord
Color Commentary: Andrikk Frazier

The University of South Florida women's basketball team looks to end its three-game losing streak on Saturday when it faces Syracuse in the Sun Dome ... Tip-off between the Bulls and Orange is slated for 7 p.m. and can be heard live in the Tampa Bay area on 1010 Sports WQYK AM - or via the internet by logging onto www.GoUSFBulls.com and selecting the Press Pass option - with Garrett Walvoord calling the action and Andrikk Frazier providing the color analysis ... In addition, the game can be seen live in the area on Catch 47 “Tampa Bay Sports Television” with Drew Fellios handling the play-by-play and Amanda Miller as the color commentator ... The game with Syracuse is the first of two-straight - and three out of the next four - that USF will play at home ... Following Saturday's game with the Orange the Bulls will return to the Sun Dome to face Providence on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. ... The Bulls' current three-game skid is the longest since dropping three consecutive at West Virginia (73-64), vs. No. 3/3 Connecticut (81-67) and at No. 19/19 Marquette (75-63) between Feb. 17-24 of 2007 ... USF's trio of losses comes after an eight-game winning streak - which was the second longest in school history - and a perfect 6-0 record in the month of December ... The Bulls coming off a 63-51 loss to St. John's in New York on Tuesday night ... Shantia Grace scored a game-high 16 points while ChiChi Okpaleke and Brittany Denson added 11 points in the loss ... Denson also grabbed 11 rebounds against the Red Storm ... Grace continues to lead USF in scoring and assists per game averaging 18.1 and 3.9 assists per game ... Jessica Lawson in the team's only double-figure scorer netting 13.4 points per game ... Lawson and Denson also pace the Bulls on the glass averaging 7.0 per contest.

Scouting Syracuse
Syracuse comes into Saturday's game with a 13-2 record and a 1-1 slate in BIG EAST play ... The Orange lost their last outing, an 85-75 setback to Pittsburgh on Jan. 9, which snapped a 12-game winning streak.

The Orange kicked off conference play with an impressive win against Louisville, 79-56, on Jan. 5.

Of its 12-straight wins, one of the most impressive was a 72-53 triumph over Penn State on Dec. 6 in the Carrier Dome shortly after the Nittany Lions defeated Duke.

Four players average double figures, led by Chandrea Jones, who is netting 16.2 points per game ... In addition, Jones is also second on the team in rebounding grabbing 8.2 boards per contest ... Also netting double digits is Fantasia Goodwin (14.6 ppg), Nicole Michael (12.4 ppg) and Erica Morrow (11.6 ppg) ... Goodwin is averaging a double-double with her 10.2 rebounds per contest.

The Series vs. The Orange
Saturday's game is the fifth meeting all-time between USF and Syracuse with series tied at two-games apiece ... The Bulls are 2-0 against SU since they have joined the BIG EAST Conference.

USF has won the last two straight games against the Orange after dropping the first two of the series ... The Bulls defeated Syracuse 78-61 on Jan. 28, 2007 in the last meeting.

Last Time Out vs. Syracuse
USF got back on the winning track with a 78-61 victory at Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Jan. 28, 2007... The win came on the heels of a seven-day lay off after one of its worst losses of the year - a 73-48 setback to Pittsburgh on Jan. 20.

The Bulls shot 80 percent (12-15) from the free throw line for the second time in three games and better than 75 percent for the third straight game.

USF's bench finally came alive outscoring the Orange 18-0 in the win.

The Bulls had three players in double figures in the scoring column led by Nalini Miller's game-high 23 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots in 39 minutes ... The double-double was the fourth of the season, for her, and the third in her last four games ... Shantia Grace and Jessica Dickson added 22 and 11 points respectively in the win.

Last Time Out
USF dropped its third straight game and its second consecutive conference tilt with a 63-51 loss to St. John's in New York on Tuesday.

The Bulls trailed by as many as 19 points (39-20) with 16:49 left in the second half ... USF would get the lead cut to four, two times, but could not get any closer.

USF continued to struggle putting the ball in the basket making just 30.6 percent (19-62) of its shots from the field - and just 25.8 percent (8-31) in the first half - and 55.6 percent (10-18) from the free throw line.

Shantia Grace led the Bulls with a team-high 16 points while Brittany Denson and ChiChi Okpaleke added 11 points in the loss ... Denson also grabbed 12 rebounds marking her first double-double with USF and the seventh of her career dating back to her days at the University of Miami.

Although Jazmine Sepulveda scored just one point in her homecoming, the Brooklyn native pulled down nine rebounds, dished out six assists and recorded three steals in 37 minutes of action.

Amazing Grace Is Back
Shantia Grace is back where she left off after the 2006-07 season concluded ... Grace currently leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game, and assists, handing out 3.9 per outing.

Grace recorded a new career-high with 30 points against Yale on Dec. 30 ... That new high surpasses the previous mark of 29 originally set against Florida International on Nov. 29 in Miami earlier this season ... Of those 29 points against the Golden Panthers, 20 came in the first half.

Grace is the only player on the team to have scored in double figures in every game she has played in this year - 14 ... Grace missed the New Hampshire game on Nov. 17 due to a coach's decision ... Coming into the Syracuse game, Grace has netted double digits in the scoring column in her last 15-straight games dating back to last year.

Against West Virginia, Grace poured in a game-high 25 points marking the third time in a five-games stretch that she has scored 25 or more points ... During that time span she is averaged 21.8 points per outing.

Grace has tallied 25 or more points in five games during her career.

During her career, Grace has tallied double figures in 57 of 78 games played and in 39 of 47 dating back to the beginning of the 2006-07 campaign.

Grace Accepting The Charity
Shantia Grace has been dead-on from the charity stripe in her last six games ... During that stretch, Grace is hitting 84.1 percent (37-44) of her shots from the free throw line ... In addition, she has only shot worse than 80 percent once in her last six games with that being 73.3 percent (11-15) against West Virginia on Jan. 5 ... Grace's 11 free throws made against the Mountaineers marked a career-high.

Grace Moving Up The Charts
Shantia Grace continues to move up USF's career assist chart ... She came into the season No. 7 on the school's all-time list with 311 career hand outs ... Her 55 assists so far this season has her tied for fourth place, with Dione Smith (1998-00, 02) on the chart with 366 career hand outs ... Grace is currently 21 assists shy of tying Jackie Eisenhauer (1988-91) with 287 and 22 from moving into sole possession of third place.

Grace is also just one of four players to score 1,000-career points and hand out 360 or more assists in their careers ... She joins Jackie Eisenhauer (1988-91) who recorded 1,470 points and 387 assists, Renee Ballamy (1991-94) who had 1,441 points and 429 assists and Jenny Koeppel (1994-97) who finished her career with 1,026 points and 389 assists.

Grace Reaches Milestone
Against Yale, on Dec. 30, Shantia Grace became the 16th player in the 36 years of the women's basketball program at USF to score her 1,000th-career point ... She came into the game with the Bulldogs needing 30 points in order to accomplish the feat, and also to establish a new career-high ... She reached the milestone on a trey from the top of the key with 4:13 left in the game ... Her career-high for assists is 14 vs. UPR-Mayaguez on Dec. 19, 2005 in the San Juan Shootout.

Grace currently has 1,035 career points which puts her in 13th place on USF's all-time scoring list, 70 points from tying Nalini Miller (2003-07) for 12th place and 71 points from moving into sole possession ... Prior to Grace, Miller was the last player top reach the 1,000-point plateau.

J-Law Making The Most Of Her Minutes
Jessica Lawson regrouped from a tough outing in the Bulls' lone exhibition game of the preseason where she was 0-4 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line against the Miami Sun in 21 minutes ... Although Lawson saw just 18 minutes against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 13, she tallied 16 points on 6-9 shooting from the field and 4-7 from the charity stripe ... She also grabbed six rebounds in the win over Bethune-Cookman.

Lawson had - what was then - a career afternoon on Nov. 18 against Illinois State despite it being in a loss ... The transfer from California poured in a career-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds ... It was her second career double-double and her first at USF ... She surpassed her previous career best of 19 points which she scored twice against Arizona while with the Bears.

Lawson followed up her 20-point outing (23 pts.) against Illinois State with another against Stetson ... She shot 7-11 from the field and was 6-8 from the charity stripe for 20 points in 25 minutes ... It was the first time of her career that she has recorded back-to-back 20-point games.

On Dec. 1 against Saint Peter's, Lawson surpassed her previous career-high set against Illinois State on Nov. 18 ... Lawson poured in 25 points and 14 rebounds against the Peahens on Dec. 1.

With her 23-point outing on Dec. 9 against Florida A&M, Lawson has recorded four 20-point efforts this season.

Lawson En Fuego From The Field & The Line
Jessica Lawson is shooting an impressive 51.1 percent (67-131) from the field on the year for the Bulls, however has been particularly dead-on from the floor in the past seven games ... In USF's last seven outings, Lawson has hit for 57.7 percent (30-52) of her shots from the field.

Included in that 30-52 from the field was Lawson's first field goal made from “downtown” ... Lawson made her first three-pointer in her first attempt against Belmont on Dec. 19 in Cancun.

Lawson has also been pretty automatic from the charity stripe as well when she has toed the line in her last seven games ... Over that seven-contest stretch she has hit 15-19 from the line for 78.9 percent.

Denson A Welcome Addition To The Frontcourt
Brittany Denson has made her presence felt in six games in a Bulls' uniform ... The Miami (FL) transfer saw her first action with USF in the Caribbean Challenge against Oregon and Belmont and played her first game in front of the Sun Dome faithful against Yale on Dec. 30 ... Denson got her feet wet against the Ducks on Dec. 18 with four points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.

Denson would follow that outing with a 16-point, six-rebound outing against Belmont on Dec. 19 ... She turned in 5-9 shooting from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line in the win.

Although she just scored three points against Yale, Denson continued to hit the glass hard, grabbing nine rebounds while also tying her career-high of four assists against the Bulldogs.

Denson recorded her first double-double in a USF uniform when she tallied 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Bulls' loss to St. John's on Jan. 8 ... It was also her seventh career double-double dating back to her day's with the Hurricanes.

Denson played in 17 games for the Hurricanes during the 2006-07 season, while getting the starting nod in 16 before deciding to transfer to USF ... She was third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.4 points per game and paced the team in rebounding, grabbing 6.9 per outing ... She also led the team on the year in total blocked shots with 17 (1.0 bpg) ... Was quite impressive from the field in her 17 games shooting 50.4 percent (60-119) ... Recorded four double-doubles on the season and tallied double figures in six games.

Denson averaged 5.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per outing during her freshman year prior to having a season-ending knee injury ... In her 22 games as a rookie - including 11 starts - Denson blocked 30 shots (1.4 bpg) which was the seventh-highest single-season total in school history and the most since 1997 ... She was also second on the team in offensive rebounds per game, grabbing 2.3 per outing, and fourth in defensive boards hauling down 3.0 per contest.

Gianna Picking It Up
Gianna Messina has been solid for the Bulls averaging 5.4 points per game this season ... She is also averaging 7.1 points per game in her last eight outings ... In addition, during those eight outings, she is shooting 47.4 percent (18-38) from the field ... She is also hitting 55.0 percent (11-20) of her shots in her last six games.

Messina has started in five games this season, however has come off the bench in the last four.

The Tampa native scored a then-career-high eight points - in 12 minutes - on 3-4 shooting from the field and 2-3 from behind the three-point arc at Florida International on Nov. 29 in Miami.

Against Saint Peter's on Dec. 1, Messina teetered on the verge of a double-double without scoring a basket ... She would establish two new career highs with eight rebounds and nine assists in the win over the Peahens.

Messina, offensively, had her best collegiate game of her career against North Florida on Dec. 5 ... She poured in a career-best 15 points on 4-10 (40 percent) shooting from the field including 3-6 (50 percent) from behind the three-point arc ... Messina also logged three assists and a steal in a career-high 33 minutes of action.

All That Jaz
Junior college transfer Jazmine Sepulveda has scored double figures in six of the team's 15 games this season including a career-high 26 points against Yale on Dec. 30 ... She surpassed her previous career-best of 17 points established against New Hampshire on Nov. 17.

Sepulveda has tallied double-digits in six of 15 games this season ... In addition to Yale and New Hampshire, she hit double digits against Bethune Cookman (16) on Nov. 13, at Florida International (13) on Nov. 29, against Florida A&M (15) on Dec. 9 and West Virginia (10) on Jan. 5.

Sepulveda is currently second on the team in assists with handing out 3.7 per game behind Shantia Grace who is at 3.9 per outing ... The Brooklyn, NY, native dished out a then-season and career-high six in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman and fell just one handout short of that with five, twice, against FIU and North Florida ... She would establish a new career-high with seven assists against Oregon on Dec. 18.

Sepulveda hasn't only shot and distributed the ball effectively, but has hit the glass as well ... She is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game which is good enough for sixth on the team ... She grabbed a career-high 10 boards in USF's loss to Illinois State on Nov. 18 from the point guard spot ... She fell one board shy of tying her career-high with nine against St. John's on Jan. 8.

Although 11 of the 12 players on USF's roster have gotten the starting nod this year, Sepulveda is the only player to start in all 15 games this season.

Running Like A Porche
Porche Grant got out of the gate quickly against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 13 ... Grant hauled down a career and team-high 14 rebounds against the Wildcats surpassing her previous best of 11 against Massachusetts on Nov. 26, 2006.

Grant recorded her first career double-double on Nov. 20 against Stetson with a 10-point, 12-rebound outing ... Her 10 points was also a career-high surpassing the eight scored in her collegiate debut against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Nov. 10, 2006.

D-Bert's Big Night
Melissa Dalembert had a huge night in USF's outing against New Hampshire on Nov. 17 ... Dalembert poured in a career-high 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the 72-56 win over the Wildcats ... In 27 minutes Dalembert was 8-13 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line.

Dalembert was one of the few players who has a good showing at Vanderbilt on Jan. 2 ... The center was 4-5 (80 percent) from the field for eight points and grabbed three rebounds in six minutes.

Dalembert has two career starts under her belt in back-to-back outings against Stetson on Nov. 20 and Florida International on Nov. 29.

Dalembert is the sister of current Philadelphia 76er Samuel Dalembert.

Lady Di Leads Bulls
Daiane Packer had one of her best games of the year against Vanderbilt leading the team in scoring with 11 points on 3-8 shooting from the field - and behind the three-point arc - and 2-2 from the charity stripe ... It was the first time in her short two-year career at USF that she has led the team in scoring.

Packer logged her second-straight double-figure scoring outing with 12 points against West Virginia on Jan. 5 ... It is the first back-to-back double-digit scoring games of her USF career and the sixth as a Bull.

Packer got her second start of the season - and of her career - against West Virginia and the first since Nov. 20 against Stetson ... In addition, her 32 minutes against the Mountaineers is a career-high surpassing her previous best of 30 set earlier this season against New Hampshire on Nov. 17.

Using The Mitryk Scale
Caitlyn Mitryk had the best game of her career at USF on Nov. 20 against Stetson ... Mitryk scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed a career-best six rebounds ... She also added three assists in 24 minutes of action.

Mitryk earned her first career start on Nov. 17 in the Bulls' game against New Hampshire ... She also got the starting nod on Nov. 29 at Florida International.

USF Was Treymendous Against Bethune-Cookman ...
USF wasn't shy about firing up the long ball in its season opener on Nov. 13 ... The Bulls were 11-30 (36.7 percent) from behind the arc against Bethune-Cookman ... USF's treys made was the fourth-most hit in school history, and the most since hitting 11 against UAB on Jan. 6, 2002.

The backcourt tandem of Jazmine Sepulveda and Shantia Grace combined for 8-11 from behind the three-point arc against the Wildcats ... Grace was also 5-10 from the floor on the night.

... And Florida International
The Bulls also found themselves on fire from behind the three-point arc on Nov. 29 against Florida International ... USF shot 50 percent (9-18) from three-point range, including a 53.3 percent clip (8-15) in the first half.

USF's nine treys made against the Golden Panthers is tied for the 10th most in school history.

Treymendous Part II
USF also hit 10 three-point shots in games this season against Stetson (10-29) on Nov. 20 and Florida A&M (10-27) on Dec. 9 ... Both are tied for the ninth most made in a game in school history.

Three-peat
Three times this season USF has recorded double-figure three-point field goals made hitting 10 against Florida A&M on Dec. 9, and also accomplishing the feat with 11 against Bethune-Cookman, on Nov. 13, and 10 against Stetson on Nov. 20.

Last season the Bulls netted a season-high of nine treys made in just three of 33 games played ... Prior to this season USF last had double-digit three pointers made on Dec. 19, 2005 with 10 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in the San Juan Shootout.

In addition, over the last five-plus seasons, USF has recorded multiple games of double-digit three-pointers made in just one season, the 2002-03 campaign ... That year the Bulls hit 10-21 against Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis (Dec. 19, 2002) and against TCU (Mar. 3) when they made 11-25.

Jose Fernandez Etches His Name In USF Record Books
To say that being the head women's basketball coach at USF has been a work in progress is certainly an understatement ... Jose Fernandez comes into the St. John's game with a 110-112 career coaching record ... He pulled himself back up to the .500 mark on Dec. 19 against Belmont with the Bulls' 74-55 win ... The Miami native reached the mark despite having to include a rough 4-24 campaign in his first year at USF (2000-01).

Fernandez has really left his mark on the program with what he has done over the past four seasons ... Fernandez has led the Bulls to four-straight postseason appearances - the WNIT in 2004, 2005 and 2007, and the NCAA in 2006 - all while posting a 85-55 (60.7 percent) record since 2003-04.

Against Vermont on Dec. 28, 2006, Fernandez became USF's all-time leader in career wins surpassing former head coach - and former general manager of the now defunct Charlotte Sting of the WNBA - Trudi Lacey (1988-96) who held the top spot with 88 career wins.

Fernandez surpassed Lacey, who held the mark since 1996, accomplishing the feat in his 186th game, while Lacy took 215 out of 219 outings to win 88.

Jose Fernandez vs. The Top 25
USF is 5-23 vs. teams ranked in the Top 25 of either the AP or ESPN/USA Today polls since Jose Fernandez took over prior to the 2000-01 season.

USF has faced two Top 25 team this season when it dropped a 89-52 decision to No. 10/9 Duke on Nov. 15 in the ESPNU Invitational at the St. Pete Times Forum ... Duke was one of two non-conference teams that the Bulls faced that were ranked in the preseason Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls ... Vanderbilt was Nov. 23/17 in the preseason polls, however dropped out of both Top 25 polls the week before USF faced them ... They were, however, receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.

West Virginia came into the Sun Dome this season ranked No. 17 in the AP and No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls ... The Mountaineers handed the Bulls a disappointing 79-73 loss on Jan. 5.

No. 3/3 LSU and No. 3/3 Connecticut - UConn both times when USF played them - were the highest-ranked opponents that the Bulls have ever faced ... The Lady Tigers defeated USF 87-44 in Baton Rouge on Dec, 30, 2005 while the Huskies handed USF an 81-67 loss on Feb. 20, 2007 and a 74-54 setback on Mar. 4, 2007.

On Dec. 7, 2005, DePaul - who was ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll - was the highest ranked team that the Bulls have ever defeated handing the Blue Demons a 79-77 loss in overtime ... The game was the inaugural BIG EAST opener for both schools ... USF's 74-58 win over No. 15/15 Louisville on Jan. 16, 2007 marked the second-highest ranked team that the Bulls defeated.

USF defeated No. 21/22 Notre Dame on the road in overtime, 68-64, on Jan. 28, 2006.

USF defeated No. 23 Tulane (69-64) on Jan. 20, 2002, and No. 18 TCU (89-84) in a double-overtime thriller on Feb. 2, 2004.

USF defeated three of its last eight Top 25 teams that it played in the Sun Dome (No. 18/18 TCU, No. 11/13 DePaul and No. 15/15 Louisville) with all three victories being conference wins (TCU, Conference USA, DePaul and Louisville, BIG EAST) ... The five losses came against No. 13/15 Michigan State (81-66) on Dec. 10, 2005, No. 10/9 Rutgers (66-65) on Jan. 11, 2006, to No. 6/6 LSU (60-48) on Jan. 3, 2007, No 3/3 UConn (81-67) on Feb. 20, 2007 and No. 17/16 West Virginia (79-73) on Jan. 5, 2008 ... The margin of defeat in those five games is just 9.6 points per contest.

The Bulls are 3-1 in overtime games against Top 25 teams since Jose Fernandez took over for the 2000-01 season ... They've defeated No. 18/18 TCU (89-84, 2ot) on Feb. 2, 2004, No. 11/13 DePaul (79-77) on Dec. 7, 2005, and No. 21/22 Notre Dame (68-64) on Jan. 28, 2006. ... The only setback came at the hands of No. 8/8 Connecticut (75-65) on Dec. 1, 2004 in Storrs ... The UConn game was the first overtime game that the Huskies ever played in Gampel Pavilion.

Dome Sweet Dome
USF has dominated its opposition on its home floor of late and have continued the trend, at least through the non-conference portion of the 2007-08 schedule ...The Bulls have turned in an impressive 48-10 (82.7 percent) overall record and a 30-4 (88.2 percent) mark in non-conference games on their home turf dating back to the 2004-05 season ... In addition, USF is 52-10 (83.9 percent) in the Sun Dome since defeating No. 18 TCU, 89-84, in double overtime on Feb. 2, 2004, unquestionably the defining game that has led to the Bulls' success over the last four-plus years, and 34-8 (80.9 percent) on their home turf since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.

USF is 12-5 (70.6 percent) in BIG EAST games at home - since joining the conference for the 2005-06 season - and 18-6 (75 percent) in league games dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.

A Look Back At Cancun
USF turned in a 2-0 record in the Caribbean Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort and Convention Center in Cancun, Mexico Dec. 18-19 ... The Bulls defeated Pac-10 foe Oregon, 68-58, on the first day of action and followed that up with a commanding 74-55 victory over Belmont on the final day.

USF's two-game sweep in Cancun improved its record in games outside the Continental United States to 5-0 under USF head coach Jose Fernandez and 6-1 all-time.

After a nine-day layoff the Bulls extended its winning streak to six games with their win over Oregon ... Shantia Grace led three players in double figures scoring a game-high 26 points in the win ... Jessica Lawson and Gianna Messina added 12 and 11 points respectively for USF ... On the night, the Bulls shot 40.7 percent (24-59) from the field and forced the Ducks into 16 turnovers. USF, however, was beaten on the boards 44-38 including 20-12 on the offensive glass.

The Bulls welcomed Brittany Denson to the hardwood for the first time after the Winter Haven High School product had to sit out since Jan. 2007 due to NCAA transfer rules ... Denson transferred to USF after playing a year-and-a-half at Miami (FL) ... She scored four points and grabbed five rebounds in 18 minutes against the Ducks.

The Bulls would register their seventh straight win with their win over Belmont ... It was USF's third win this season over a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference ... In addition, the win raised Jose Fernandez' career record to .500 (109-109), quite an accomplishment after officially being named head coach on Dec. 14, 2000 and logging a 4-24 slate his first year.

Jessica Lawson had another big outing scoring 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, 1-1 from behind the three-point arc - the first of her career - and 4-4 from the charity stripe ... She also added a team-high seven rebounds in the win ... Shantia Grace also added 19 points and Brittany Denson had 16 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes ... Gianna Messina had her second-straight 11-point outing.

The Bulls had its best game from the charity stripe hitting 85.7 percent (18-21) of their shots ... It was the first time this season that USF hit for better than 68 percent from the free throw line.

Bulls Excel Off The Court As Well
USF is not only off to a fast start on the basketball court, but have gotten out of the gate quickly off the court in the classroom as well ... Six of the 12 players on the Bulls' roster recorded a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) during the recent fall semester.

Gianna Messina turned in a 3.81 GPA in the fall ... The freshman from Tampa is in the University's honors college majoring in business ... Her cumulative GPA is a 3.72 ... She also served as team representative for USF's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Caitlyn Mitryk logged a 3.80 fall GPA ... A sophomore, she is majoring in criminology ... Her cumulative and overall GPA is a 3.49 and boasts a 3.89 GPA in her major.

Brittany Denson turned in a 3.46 GPA last semester ... She is a junior majoring in criminology ... Her cumulative USF GPA is 3.0, 3.25 in her major.

Porche Grant had a 3.40 GPA last semester ... A sophomore communication major, her cumulative USF and overall gpa is 3.16 and 2.9 in her major.

Daiane Packer had a 3.33 fall GPA ... She will graduate in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with an emphasis in business ... She is an international student that overcame language barriers ... Her cumulative USF GPA is 3.09 and 3.16 in her major.

Chi Chi Okpaleke recorded a 3.33 GPA in the fall ... She will graduate in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences and plans on attending medical school ... Okpaleke's cumulative USF GPA is 3.6, 3.63 overall and 3.44 in her major ... During the fall Okpaleke served on an NCAA accreditation focus group.

USF Inks Another Standout Class
USF head women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez has signed another standout recruiting class with the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent during the recent early signing period ... The Bulls have inked 6-3 forward Tawatha Tucker from Raeford, NC (Village Christian HS), 5-7 guard Jasmine Wynne from Jacksonville, FL (University Christian HS) and 5-8 twin backcourt mates Andrell and Andrea Smith from Lakeland, FL (Lake Gibson HS). All four players are expected to contribute immediately during the 2008-09 season ... This year's class is No. 18 in the nation by the Blue Star Basketball Report (BSBR) and No. 21 by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report (CGBR).

Tucker comes to USF ranked No. 116 in America by the CGBR, and despite her 6-3 height, brings tremendous athleticism to the floor which will fit in with the Bulls' up-tempo system ... She is a versatile player who can step into the center, power forward, or small forward positions ... Tucker, who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game last year at Village Christian in Fayetteville, NC, is also outstanding in transition and can face-up to the basket out to about 15-feet.

Wynne, currently ranked No. 29 by the BSBR and No. 75 by CGBR, is an up-tempo player that will fit USF's system nicely ... She has tremendous court awareness and presence, and the ability to make plays in the transition and hit the three-point shot.

The Smith tandem has been labeled as "one of the best guard combinations in the country" by the CGBR and helped Lake Gibson High School to a 23-5 record during the 2006-07 season ... Andrell is ranked No. 105 by the CGBR and No. 93 by the All Start Girls Report and has already tallied a 40-point game this season ... She is widely regarded as the true point guard and play maker of the duo ... She averaged 9.8 points per game last season for Lake Gibson and was tabbed an All-Class 5A honorable mention ... Andrea averaged 20.7 points per game last year proving to be a big-time scorer ... Last year she was named to the Florida Sportswriters Association All-Class 5A third team.

Shantia Grace Named To Weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll
Shantia Grace was named on Dec. 3 to the BIG EAST Conference women's basketball weekly honor roll for the week ending Dec. 2, 2007 ... It is the first such honor for a USF player this season ... Grace averaged 23 points per game in helping the Bulls to a 2-0 record ... She also averaged four rebounds, four assists and three steals per outing in the two games ... She poured in a career-high 29 points including 20 points in the first half against in-state rival Florida International on Nov. 29 in Miami ... In doing so, she was 5-15 from the floor in the first stanza against the Golden Panthers and 7-8 from the charity stripe ... She also dished out a season-high six assists in the win ... Grace followed her career-high with a 17-point outing against the Peahens on Dec. 1 in 40 minutes of action.

Shantia Grace earned her second BIG EAST Conference women's basketball weekly honor roll selection for the week ending Dec. 23, 2007 ... It is the third time this season that a member of the team has earned the honor and it is Grace's second this year ... Grace averaged 22 points per game in two games while helping the Bulls to a 2-0 record with wins over Oregon (Dec. 18) and Belmont (Dec. 19) in the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico ... She shot 43.7 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from behind the three-point arc on the week ... Grace poured in 26 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Ducks in 39 minutes ... It was her second game of 26 or more points in the last five games up to that point ... In addition, she also recorded six rebounds ... Grace would follow that outing up with an 18-point effort while also recording four steals and two assists against Belmont.

Shantia Grace earned her third BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition and her second straight for the week ending Dec. 30 ... Grace was recognized after scoring 30 points against Yale on Dec. 30 and became the 16th player to score 1,000 career points ... Grace was 9-21 (42.9 percent) from the field, including 3-6 (50 percent) from three-point range, and a stellar 9-10 (90 percent) from the charity stripe ... In addition she equaled her season-high with seven assists in the win.

Lawson Gets BIG EAST Kudo
Jessica Lawson has been named to the BIG EAST Conference women's basketball weekly honor roll for the week ending Dec. 9, 2007 ... It is the second-straight week that a member of the team has earned the honor ... Lawson averaged 20.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per contest while helping the Bulls to a 2-0 record and wins over North Florida (75-68) and Florida A&M (78-59) ... Lawson recorded her third double-double of the season and the fourth of her career - dating back to her playing days at California - with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against UNF ... It was her second straight double-double ... She followed that with a 23-point effort against FAMU on 8-12 shooting (66.7 percent) and 7-10 shooting (70 percent) from the charity stripe ... She also had three steals against the Rattlers ... Her 23 points was her fourth 20-point outing in her last six games.

USF Picked To Finish Ninth In Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll
Despite the loss of more then 60 percent of its offensive production off last year's team, USF still found itself picked near the middle of the pack in this season's BIG EAST Conference preseason coaches poll ... The Bulls were picked by the league's coaches to finish ninth this season with 105 points ... Connecticut was picked to win the league while Rutgers is slated to finish second ... West Virginia (186), Pittsburgh (169) and Notre Dame (165) round out the top five ... Louisville (154), DePaul (152) and Marquette (124) are sixth, seventh and eighth respectively and Seton Hall (93) rounds out the top 10 ... The rest of the poll is as follows: 11. St. John's (93), 12. Villanova (77), 13. Syracuse (61), 14. Cincinnati (49), 15. Providence (36), 16. Georgetown (20).

Fill Your Belly With All-U-Can Eat Seats
The USF athletics department announced that "All-U-Can-Eat-Seats" will be available for all men's and women's home basketball games for the 2007-08 season ... With the purchase of one south end ticket (second level for men and lower level for women) you will receive a voucher that will allow for "All-U-Can-Eat" hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels and soft drinks for the entirety of the game ... The ticket is $20 for men's games and $15 ($12 youth) for women's games and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls.

USF To Host Women's Final Four In 2008
For the first time ever, the NCAA Women's Final Four is coming to the State of Florida, and USF is the host school ... The 2008 event will be played in the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa, and the Tampa Convention Center will serve as the site of both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Convention and the fan-centered Hoop City.

USF hosted the 1999 Men's Final Four at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the 1994 men's first and second rounds and the 1998 men's regional at the Trop ... USF also hosted the 2003 NCAA men's first and second round event at the St. Pete Times Forum.