No. 22 USF Looks to Bounce Back at Temple

No. 22 USF Looks to Bounce Back at Temple

Matchup: No. 22 USF (12-4, 2-1 The American) at Temple (9-5, 1-1 The American)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Philadelphia, Pa. | McGonigle Hall
Watch: ESPN3 | http://es.pn/2qJIkiX
Radio: AM 1040 | BullsUnlimited (Darek Sharp)
Follow: Listen | Live Stats |  Twitter
 
TAMPA, JAN. 9, 2018 – The 22nd ranked University of South Florida women's basketball team returns to action Wednesday. The Bulls travel to Philadelphia to take on Temple in a 7 p.m. ESPN3 match-up at McGonigle Hall.
 
The Bulls (12-4, 2-1) look to bounce back into the win column after suffering its first conference loss of the season to No. 1 UConn Sunday. The Bulls' bench turned in a notable performance against the Huskies, scoring 23 points, the bench's third highest point total this season. Redshirt-sophomore Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) led the Bulls with 11 points and six rebounds while Alba Prieto (Saville, Spain), Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) and Vanessa Blagmon (Norcross, Ga.) added a combined 12 points.
 
Since taking the court against Southern (Dec. 15), Rader averages 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Rader is shooting 48 percent from the floor and over 50 percent from behind the arc. Against American Athletic Conference opponents, Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) and Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) lead the way for the Bulls offensively. The pair combine for 27 points and 13 rebounds per game.
 
THE OPPONENT
Temple (9-5, 1-1 The American) is led by Tanaya Atkinson, who averages 21.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. The senior recorded her 10th double-double this season against SMU with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Owls erased a 10-point first half deficit to SMU and beat the Mustangs, 55-52, for their first conference victory.
 
The Bulls and Owls will meet for the 12th time in program history. The series dates back to 2014 at the start of the American Athletic Conference and USF holds a 9-2 series advantage. The Bulls have won four of the last five meetings.  The pair last met in the semifinals of The American Tournament and USF defeated the Owls 63-58 to advance to the conference championship for the third consecutive season.
 
NOTABLES
  • The Bulls are 3-1 on the road this season.
  • USF has taken care of the basketball throughout the season and averages just 11.6 turnovers per game, which rank fourth nationally.
  • Laia Flores leads the league in three different categories: assist-turnover ratio (3.64), assists (102) and assists per game (6.4). She ranks in the top 16 nationally in all three categories.
  • Maria Jespersen is 14 rebounds away from tying Ezira Parsons ('06) at 729 career rebounds, which rank ninth in the all-time record books.
  • Kitija Laksa only needs 89 points to move into the top-10 of USF Career scoring records. The junior has 1,321 career points. She only needs 12 points to move to 11th on the list.
  • USF is currently receiving votes in the AP poll and No. 22 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 | Facebook | 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 –
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