Bulls Set for George Washington on Sunday
Matchup:RV/RV USF Bulls (6-2) vs. George Washington Colonials (2-7)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Fla.
Live Stream: BullsVision(Jim Louk & Brian Hattab)
Radio: Bulls Unlimited (Darek Sharp & Brigid Merenda)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com
Twitter Updates:@USFWBB
TAMPA, Fla. Dec. 7, 2018 – After a much-needed week without competition, USF women's basketball returns to the Yuengling Center, set to host George Washington on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.
Special promotions surround the game including First Responders Day, Family Day and the annual Teddy Bear Toss. First responders and families are invited out to the game and special activities include a bounce house, sign making, face painting, and the women's basketball team will sign autographs after the game. All fans are invited to bring new teddy bears or stuffed animals to toss onto the court in a special promotion. Fans will register their bears at Gate A, and prizes will be placed on the court. Fans will toss their bears onto the court, and the closest bear to the prize will receive the prize. All of the collected bears will be donated.
USF (6-2) is receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today top-25 polls and is on a two-game winning streak. In the middle of a much-needed four-game homestand, USF is coming off of victories over New Hampshire (79-36) at home and UCLA (60-56) in the Paradise Jam. USF remains home until Dec. 17 when the Bulls take on Vermont after facing Grambling State on Dec. 15.
Three Bulls are averaging in double figures on the season, led by
Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) with 18.3 points per game, while freshman
Sydni Harvey is adding 14.1 points per game and
Beatriz Jordao (Pombal, Portugal) is contributing 12.5 points per game.
Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) leads USF on the boards with 8.5 rebounds per game.
Jordao is a presence in the paint for the Bulls and is an expert in getting to the rim, she owns a conference-leading 68.8 percent field goal percentage. The freshman's shooting efficiency comes on a 44-of-64 clip and is ranked top five nationally.
Rebounding has been the secret weapon for the Bulls, who are out-performing opponents on the boards by 13.4 per game, good enough for top-15 nationally.
Notably, Ferreira was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for the week of Dec. 3 following a near triple double against New Hampshire, with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the dominating victory. She powered five Bulls scoring in double figures, led by Jordao with 17 points and Rader with her second double-double of the season.
Freshmen on Fire
Sydni Harvey and
Beatriz Jordao are proving to bookend the Bulls nicely through eight games in the green and gold. The point guard and the center are combining for an average of 26
.6 points per game. Both players have played and started in all eight contests, amd are two of just three Bulls to do so. Both have been named The American Freshman of the Week within the first three weeks of the season, and both have led the Bulls in scoring this season.
The Opponent
George Washington (2-7) is on a two-game skid, falling on Thursday, Dec. 6 to Villanova 60-45 and to Monmouth last Sunday 55-51. The Colonials wins come against Towson (76-63) and Princeton (64-49), both in November. Two Colonials are averaging in double figures, with Mei-Lyn Bautista earning 12.2 points per game and Neila Luma adding 10.4 points per game. Luma is also pacing GW with 6.2 rebounds per game.
The Atlantic 10 opponents are defensive specialists, and are hungry to get back into the win column when they visit the Yuengling Center. Bautista has scored in double figures in all but seven games, and the point guard has shown her skills averaging nearly four assists per game. Luma has also scored in double figures in the last four games.
Notable
- Laura Ferreira is USF's leading scorer this season with 17.6 points per game, boosted by her 34-point game over Oklahoma, which leads The American.
- Beatriz Jordao leads the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage with 68.8 percent, which is good enough for fifth nationally.
- Laura Ferreira was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll after her near triple double last week (13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists)
- Rebounding is a key for USF, who is out-performing opponents on the boards by 13.4, a good enough margin for top-15 nationally.
- USF is in the midst of a four-game homestand, beginning with New Hampshire on Nov. 30 (W, 79-36), George Washington on Dec. 9, Grambling State on Dec. 15, and Vermont on Dec. 17.
Follow the Action
Fans can follow the action with a free live stream by BullsVision on GoUSFBulls.com with
Jim Louk on the call and Brian Hattab adding color. Live radio will be available on AM 1040 with
Darek Sharp on the call and Brigid Merenda adding color. Live stats will also be available on GoUSFBulls.com.
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 –
