TAMPA, NOV. 16, 2015 – USF guard Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) was named The American Conference Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, after an outstanding opening weekend, leading the Bulls to a 2-0 mark.
Williams averaged a double-double over the weekend with a 30.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game average. The senior played 75 minutes of action, and turned in 60 points, 23 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Williams averaged .481 shooting percentage and opened her senior campaign shooting .500 (14-for-28) against Jacksonville. In her first double-double of the season, Williams pulled-in a career high 18 rebounds. Williams finished with 34 points, one shy of her career high.
Against Drexel, Williams scored 26 points, shot .458 (11-for-24), collected five rebounds and dished out four assists.
It is Williams fifth career weekly conference honor, the first of her senior season.
Dai'ja Thomas (SMU) was named Freshman of the Week, while Ashley Polacek (UCF), Ana Owens (Cincinnati), Jada Payne (East Carolina), Feyonda Fitzgerald (Temple) and Leslie Vorpahl (Tulane) were recognized on the weekly Honor Roll.
USF returns to action Thursday in the preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) semifinals. The Bulls will face Monday's No. 5 Baylor-Southern Miss winner at a site to be determined. The championship game will take place 3 p.m. Sunday at a site to be determined.
Jose Fernandez's 2015 women's basketball team returns all five starters, including All-American Candidate Courtney Williams, from a team that posted a 27-8 (15-3 American) record in 2014-15 and finished the season in the top 25 rankings. The squad finished second behind eventual NCAA champion UConn in the American Athletic Conference and made an exciting NCAA Tournament run that saw USF top LSU in front of 5,560 fans in the Sun Dome in the NCAA regional round.
In 2015-16, the Bulls will be hosting their toughest schedule yet, including the opening rounds of the Preseason WNIT, along with perennial powers Penn State, Chattanooga, Oklahoma State and UConn making trips to Tampa. Season tickets, starting at just $65, are available for purchase online at USFBullsTix.com, by phone at 1-800-GoBulls or in person at the Gate B ticket office of the Sun Dome, with single game tickets going on sale in late September.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
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