Fifth Seed Bulls Set for AAC Tournament Friday

Fifth Seed Bulls Set for AAC Tournament Friday

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Matchup:No. 5 USF Bulls (16-14, 7-9 AAC) vs. No. 12 Tulane (15-14, 5-11 AAC) 
Date: Friday, March 8, 2019
Time:12 p.m. ET
Location: Uncasville, Conn., Mohegan Sun Arena    
Radio: AM 1040& Bulls Unlimited(Darek Sharp)
Watch:ESPN3
Live Stats: AAC.StatBroadcast.com 
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
 
TAMPA, Fla., March 7, 2019 –USF women's basketball will travel to Uncasville, Conn., to the home of WNBA team Connecticun Sun, Mohegan Sun Arena, to compete in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, beginning Friday, March 8. 
 
The Bulls earned the fifth seed based on regular season standings, and will take on 12th-seeded Tulane on Friday at 12 p.m. in the first round of the tournament. Should USF advance to the quarterfinal, the Bulls will face fourth-seeded Houston on Saturday, March 9 at 12 p.m.  
 
Tulane is the only AAC team that the Bulls swept this season, winning both games against the Green Wave. USF first defeated Tulane in Tampa in January by 27 points (73-46), before taking down Tulane in New Orleans 50-45 in February. 
 
USF (16-14, 7-9 AAC) is coming off a magical night at the Yuengling Center, when the Bulls' battered nine-person roster hung in with No. 2 UConn until the fourth quarter, when UConn ended the game with a 9-0 run to defeat the Bulls. 
 
The Bulls have defied odds this season, not only with the number of injuries to the roster, but with the resiliency despite those injuries. Sophomore Enna Pehadzic leads USF in scoring in conference play with 15.4 points per game and overall with 11.8 points per game. Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) leads USF on the boards with 8.2 per game and was named to the weekly AAC Honor Roll for her efforts. 
 
Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia), USF's returning leading scorer for the 2018-19 campaign and player of the year candidate, suffered a season-ending injury on Nov. 15. Beatriz Jordao (Pombal, Portugal), after a promising start, will miss the rest of her freshman campaign when a nagging injury won out to end 2018. Freshman Silvia Serrat (Banyoles, Spain) is sidelined with a ACL/meniscus tear suffered in the offseason. Senior Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) has missed action since early January due to a heart condition. 
 
The Tournament
The top four seeds in the conference earned first-round byes, and will begin action in the quarterfinals on Saturday. USF earned a fifth-seed and will face 12th-seeded Tulane. Should USF advance, the Bulls will face fourth-seeded Houston on Saturday in the quarterfinals. If USF were to advance to the semifinals on Sunday, the Bulls will take on the winner of the UConn versus SMU or ECU. The Championship game will take place Monday night at 7 p.m. 
 
The first round and quarterfinal games will be broadcast live on ESPN3, while the semifinals and championship game will be broadcast live on ESPN2. 
 
USF has been to the championship game in the AAC Tournament every year since 2015. The only year USF did not advance to the championship game was in the first year of The American, when No. 3/4 Louisville eliminated the Bulls in the semifinals. The last four seasons, USF has been eliminated by UConn in the championship. 
 
Boards for the Bulls
Rebounding has been a weapon for the Bulls, who are out-performing opponents on the boards by 10.3 per game, good enough for fifth nationally. USF ranks seventh nationally in total rebounds (1,270) this season and 10th nationally in rebounds per game (43.8). 
 
The Opponent
No. 12 Tulane Green Wave 
Krystal Freeman leads Tulane in scoring with 14.3 points per game, and on the boards with 7.4 rebounds per game. Tulane is on a five game losing streak, dating back to Feb. 16. The Green Wave's last victory came on Feb. 13thagainst UCF, 61-59. In conference play, Freeman is scoring 15.8 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. 

Three of Tulane's last five losses are top-five opponents in the league, but Tulane is the only school that USF swept in both meetings this year. 
 
Notable
  • Fifth-seeded USF will face 12th-seeded Tulane on Friday, March 8 at 12 p.m. in the first game of the AAC tournament. 
  • USF has advanced to the championship game every year since 2015. 
  • The Bulls own a 9-5 record in The American Tournament since its inception in 2013-14.
  • Tamara Henshaw was named to the weekly AAC Honor Roll after her outstanding rebounding performance last week. 
  • USF is without star Kitija Laksa (knee), Beatriz Jordao (leg) and Silvia Serrat (knee) for the season. The Bulls also have been without Laura Ferreira (heart condition) sicne January.
Follow the Action
Fans can follow the action on ESPN3 for the first round and the quarterfinals, and on ESPN2 for the semifinals and the championship. Live radio will be on AM 1040 and on BullsUnlimited with Darek Sharp on the call. Live stats will be available on GoUSFBulls.com 
 
Up Next
Should the Bulls advance, they will face No. 5 Houston on Saturday in the quarterfinals at 12 p.m. ET. Following the AAC tournament, USF will await to hear its postseason fate on Selection Monday, March 18. 
 
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 –




 
 
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