No. 23 USF Travels to Tulsa Wednesday
Matchup: No. 23
USF (16-5, 6-2 The American) at Tulsa (8-13, 2-6 The American)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 31
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tulsa, Okla. | Reynolds Center
Watch: ESPN3
Radio: AM 1040 (
Darek Sharp)
Follow: Listen |
Live Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, JAN. 30, 2018 – No. 23 USF will end the month of January at Tulsa Wednesday night and looks for its seventh win in the American Athletic Conference. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the game on ESPN3.
The Bulls (16-5, 7-2 The American) picked up their first season sweep Sunday, downing the Owls 76-60. USF is currently tied for second place in league standings with six wins at the halfway point of the conference schedule. Head coach
Jose Fernandez is pursuing his best finish in the league (15-3) which his program reached in 2014-15.
USF has used its strength on the glass to dominate its opponents, outrebounding teams by a margin of 9.8 rebounds per game. The mark ranks eighth in Division I. The Bulls have grabbed 40-plus rebounds 12 times this season, including 54 rebounds against the Owls on Sunday. USF's season average of 43.52 rebounds per game leads The American and ranks No. 19 in the country.
Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) received her first Player of the Week Recognition Monday and the senior leads the team with 9.1 rebounds per game. Jespersen has grabbed 10 double-doubles this season and averages 18.9 points per game against conference opponents.
Redshirt junior,
Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) has grabbed 10-plus rebounds on six different occasions this season and has led the team in rebounds seven times.
Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) recorded her first double-double against Temple, collecting a season-high 10 rebounds.
THE OPPONENT
Tulsa (8-13, 2-6 The American) looks to reverse a five-game losing streak against the Bulls. The Golden Hurricane lean on Shug Dickson offensively as the sophomore is the only player on the roster averaging double-digits with 13.2 points per game. Tulsa boasts a 28.5 defensive three-point field goal percentage, which ranks top-50 in the nation.
The Bulls and Hurricane will meet for the fifth time in program history. The pair first met in 2015 and USF has never dropped a contest. The Bulls swept the Hurricane last season and in their last meeting defeated Tulsa, 90-64, in the Reynolds Center.
NOTABLES
- USF's best finish in The American was a 15-3 (.833) mark in 2014-15. The American shifted to a 16-game schedule in 2016-17 season and the Bulls finished 11-5 (.688)
- The Bulls are 5-2 on the road this season and 3-1 on the road in The American.
- Junior sharpshooter Kitija Laksa was named a finalist for the 2018 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday. Laksa is one of 10 finalists recognized as the top collegiate shooting guards in Division I.
- Laia Flores leads the league in three different categories: assist-turnover ratio (3.66), assists (128) and assists per game (6.1). She ranks in the top 20 nationally in all three categories.
- The Bulls have held opponents to 65-points or less 14 times this season and are 13-1 when limiting teams to 65-points or less.
- USF is currently receiving votes in the AP poll and is No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. The Bulls started the season ranked No. 23/22 and peaked at No. 16 (AP – week 4) and No. 16 (Coaches – weeks 3-4). USF has been ranked in the coaches' poll every week and has received votes in every AP Poll. The program's highest ranking in both polls was in 2016, when the Bulls were ranked No. 15 (AP – Jan. 18 | Coaches – Jan. 19).
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (
Twitter |
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Instagram).
USF notched its fifth consecutive 20-win season. The Bulls tallied its 20th win in their 24th contest of the season which tied the fastest any program has reached 20 wins. This is the eighth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all eight 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team reached 20 wins in 24 games, and still currently holds the best record for most wins in a season (27).
USF has made 13 postseason tournament appearances and had five NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 17 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to eight 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
– #GoBulls –
