USF Set for Creighton, Virginia in Florida Sunshine Classic
Matchup:RV/RV USF Bulls (9-2) vs. Creighton Bluejays (4-5)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018
Time:6:15p.m. ET
Location: Warden Arena, Rollins College, Winter Park, Fla.
Broadcast:FloSports ($$)
Radio: AM 1040(DarekSharp)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter Updates:@USFWBB
Matchup:RV/RV USF Bulls (9-2) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (4-6)
Date: Friday, Dec. 21, 2018
Time:4 p.m. ET
Location: Warden Arena, Rollins College, Winter Park, Fla.
Broadcast:FloSports ($$)
Radio: AM 1040and
Bulls Unlimited(Darek Sharp)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter Updates:@USFWBB
TAMPA, Fla. Dec. 19, 2018 – USF women's basketball will look to add to its five-game winning streak when it travels to Winter Park, Fla., to compete in the Florida Sunshine Classic where USF will face Creighton and Virginia on Thursday and Friday.
USF women's basketball (9-2) will take on Creighton (4-5) on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at Warden Arena at Rollins College in Winter Park before facing ACC foe Virginia on Friday at 4 p.m. The Florida Sunshine Classic games are two of USF's final three nonconference games of the season and USF will close 2018 at LSU on Dec. 30.
The Bulls are coming off of their hottest offensive night of the season, when five Bulls scored in double figures including three over 20+ points to defeat Vermont 102-55 on Monday night. The victory marked the fifth straight victory for the Bulls, dating back to Nov. 24 when USF defeated UCLA in the Paradise Jam. It also marked USF finishing a perfect nonconference season at home, earning a 7-0 mark and taking wins over three teams that qualified to the NCAA tournament last year.
On an unstoppable shooting night against Vermont, USF shot 60.0 percent from beyond the arc, burying 12-of-20 treys. Combined with a 38-of-67 clip from the field, USF had a 56.7 shooting efficiency from the field as a team – a season high for USF and its third time shooting 50 percent or better. It was the fifth game USF has seen four or more scorers in double figures, and second game with five or more scorers to earn 10 or more points.
Notably, senior
Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal), led all scorers with 22 points, but
Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) and
Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) each had a career high in scoring, earning 21 and 20 points respectively, to push three Bulls over 20 points.
Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) had a breakout night with a career-high 15 points and recorded her first career double-double with 10 rebounds when she pulled down the final rebound of the game with just moments remaining.
Enna Pehadzic (Horsens, Denmark) had 10 points to be the fifth Bull scoring in double figures, powered by a season-high tying three treys made, a career high eight rebounds, a block and a steal. It was her third consecutive game scoring in double figures.
USF has won five straight with nine or fewer players in each contest, and have played as few as eight players any given night.
Sharp Shooter
Jordao is a presence in the paint for the Bulls and is an expert in getting to the rim, she owns a conference-leading 68.9 percent field goal effiency. The freshman's shooting efficiency comes on a 51-of-74 clip and is ranked sixth nationally.
Boards for the Bulls
Rebounding has been the secret weapon for the Bulls, who are out-performing opponents on the boards by 15.4 per game, good enough for fourth nationally. USF is also fourth nationally in rebounding with 511 total rebounds on the year.
The Opponent
Creighton Bluejays
Creighton, 4-5, was on a three-game winning streak of its own before falling to Florida State on Sunday in Tallahassee. The Seminoles defeated Creighton 72-51 in the final quarter of play, outscoring the Bluejays 18-6 to seal the victory.
The Bluejays own wins over in-state rivals Nebraska (74-65) and Omaha (66-51), as well as American Athletic Conference foe Wichita State (83-71). The Jays have been on the road since Dec. 8 and begin conference play following the Florida Sunshine Classic.
CU is led by Audrey Faber, a senior forward, with 16.8 points per game. She has started in all nine contests and is averaging 36.1 minutes per game. She also leads the Bluejays on the boards with 6.1 rebounds per game. But USF will also need to lock down junior forward Jaylyn Agnew, should she play, the Bluejay has missed four games but played in the last three. Agnew is averaging 15.2 points per game and is shooting over 50 percent on the year, and nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc. She also pulls down 5.4 rebounds per game.
Defense will be a big factor in the Bulls' success against the Bluejays have scored 11 or more threes in three of their last four games.
All-time against the Bluejays, Creighton leads the series 1-0, defeating USF 91-74 in 2012 in Cancun.
Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia, 4-6, is also coming off of a loss into the Florida Sunshine Classic. Before USF, the Cavaliers will face Alabama on Thursday afternoon. Virginia looks a lot like the Bulls in the sense that only nine Cavaliers have seen playing time this season. And while 11 Bulls have seen the court, USF has played nine or less players for four straight games.
UVA owns wins over Old Dominion (73-67) and American University (57-54), and like the Bulls, also fell to Kentucky (51-63) in November. They are led by Jocelyn Willoughby, a junior guard from East Orange, N.J., with 12.2 points per game, and eight rebounds per game. Dominique Toussaint, a junior guard from Staten Island, N.Y., is also averaging double figures with 10.5 points per game.
It will be a battle of the boards between the Bulls and the Cavaliers, as both teams have posted 38 or more rebounds in their last three contests, and each have eclipsed the 50-rebound mark in one or more of those games.
In the all-time series against Virginia, the Cavaliers lead 1-0, taking home a 73-71 victory in Charlottesville, Va., in 2007.
Notable
- USF is on a five-game winning streak and is 9-2 on the season, including a 7-0 record at home.
- Rebounding is a key for USF, who is out-performing opponents on the boards by 15.4, a good enough margin for fourth nationally.
- USF sunk a season-high 12 three-pointers and scored a season-high 102 points against Vermont. USF is the first AAC team to reach the century mark this season.
- USF is one of 30 Division I teams with nine or more wins. USF is one of 72 remaining teams with two or less losses.
- Laura Ferreira is USF's leading scorer this season with 16.1 points per game, boosted by her 34-point game over Oklahoma, which leads The American for a single-game point total by an individual.
- Beatriz Jordao leads the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage with 68.9 percent, which is good enough for sixth nationally.
- This is the fifth game USF has seen four or more scorers in double figures, and second game with five or more scorers to earn 10 or more points.
- USF posted a perfect nonconference record of 7-0 at home in the Yuengling Center, and took down three opponents who advanced to the NCAA tournament last year.
Follow the Action
A live stream is available on FloSports.com for a subscription fee. Fans can follow the action with live radio on Bulls Unlimited and AM 1040 with
Darek Sharp on the call. Thursday's game against Creighton will be broadcast on AM 1040 while Friday's game will air on both Bulls Unlimited and AM 1040. Live stats will also be available on StatBroadcast.
Up Next
After the Florida Sunshine Classic, USF will close its nonconference schedule at LSU on Dec. 30 in Baton Rouge, La., at 4 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the game on the SEC Network.
About USF Women's Basketball
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 sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
--#GoBulls –
