DATE/TIME: Sunday, Nov. 15/4 p.m.
OPPONENT/EVENT: Drexel/Preseason WNIT
LOCATION: Sun Dome, Tampa
RADIO: News Talk Florida 820-AM, GoUSFBulls.com
FOLLOW: Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
PURCHASE TICKETS

TAMPA, NOV. 14, 2015 – No. 20/19 USF will host Drexel Saturday in the second round of the preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sun Dome Arena. Both teams enter the contest 1-0, after wins in the first round Friday. The Bulls ran past Jacksonville 74-52, while Drexel downed Dartmouth 69-53 in Philadelphia. The pair is meeting for the first time in program history. 

After the success of the 2014-15 season, head coach Jose Fernandez and the Bulls are looking to open the season 2-0 for the sixth time in the Fernandez era. The Bulls are hot off a 22-point win Friday night in their season opener and preseason All-American Honorable Mention Courtney Williams picked up right where she ended last season. The senior notched her first double-double performance of the year with 34 points, one point shy of her career high, and a career high 18 rebounds.

USF turned in its highest scoring margin in the season opener since Nov. 10, 2012 when the Bulls defeated Stetson 70-48. In their first outing at the Sun Dome, the Bulls averaged 18.5 points per quarter, and a shooting percentage of 46 percent. Williams was the leading scorer for the Bulls but freshman Kitija Laksa joined in double-figures, scoring 15 points in her debut. The Latvian was an offensive force to be reckoned with shooting just-under 50 percent in her first outing.

The Bulls out-rebounded Jacksonville 51-38 and limited the visitors to just nine second chance points. The USF defense collected nine blocks as a team, led by junior Katelyn Weber with a career high six blocks.

The winner of Sunday's game will face the winner of Baylor and Southern Miss Nov. 18/19 in the semifinals of the preseason WNIT tournament. The loser will drop to the consolation bracket and play one more contest Nov. 20/21. Each team is guaranteed three games in the preseason WNIT.

Bulls Bites

• Alisia Jenkins scored eight points Friday night, but it was all the senior needed to join the 1,000-point club. Jenkins has a career total of 1,001 points and becomes just the 22^nd player in USF program history to reach the career feat. Jenkins grabbed seven rebounds, brining her career total to 972. Jenkins is on pace to reach 1,000 rebounds this season and she will become the second player to post 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
• Last season the Bulls led The American Conference with a 72.8 free throw percentage, but were only able to convert 11 of 20 attempts at the charity stripe Friday night.
• USF is 6-6 against Colonial Athletic Conference opponents. The Bulls faced one CAA team last season, and defeated the College of Charleston 67-47 in the Sun Dome.

Around the American

• Seven AAC teams kicked off the 2015-16 season and five earned their first victories of the season.
• East Carolina won its fourth straight season opener with a 70-59 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley. Jada Payne recorded her 12th-career double-double with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. The senior shot 9-for-16 from the floor and 9-for-12 at the free throw line in 40 minutes of action.
• Three Tulane players finished with double-digit points to lead the Green Wave to a 69-53 win against Little Rock. Junior Leslie Vorpahl led the way with 14, followed by 12 points from sophomore Kolby Morgan and 11 points from freshman Taylor Emery.
• Temple utilized a 16-0 run in the second quarter and halted a late Florida comeback to capture a 97-91 win against the Gators. Junior Feyonda Fitzgerald powered the Owls with a career-high 32 points, while also adding five assists and three steals. Sophomore Tanaya Atkinson and Alliya Butts each netted 20 in the victory.
• Memphis earned a 70-55 victory over Jacksonville State behind 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists from senior Asianna Fuqua-Bey. Senior Ariel Hearn netted 11 points, including the 1,500th point of her career.
• Houston fell to Charleston, 55-48, at TD Arena.  Freshman Serithia Hawkins led the Cougars with 11 points in her first official collegiate game. Kierra Graves snagged a team-high nine rebounds while Tyler Gilbert blocked four shots.
• Tulsa dropped a 75-67 contest to Kansas State to open the season. Sophomore guard Erika Wakefield had a team-best 15 points while senior Ashley Clark pulled down 14 rebounds.

Dragons Scout

• The Drexel Dragons opened their season with a 69-53 win over Dartmouth, their fourth-straight season-opening win. The Dragons got 21 points from Second Team All-CAA performer Rachel Pearson, and 20 from First Teamer Sarah Curran. Jackie Schluth matched a career high with 12 rebounds.
• Drexel is coming off its fifth 20-win season in program history, and the third under the guidance of Denise Dillon. The Dragons have won 20 or more games in two of the last three seasons, but have never put together back-to-back 20-win seasons, a feat they hope to accomplish for the first time with another 20-win year in 2015-16.
• For the third time, the Dragons will begin their season in the Preseason WNIT. They are now 3-2 all-time in the event, losing in the first round to Boston College in 2005 and going 2-1 against Long Island, Detroit and Akron in 2011.

Up Next

The Bulls will continue play in the preseason WNIT. The winner of Sunday's game will face the winner of Baylor and Southern Miss Nov. 18/19 in the semifinals of the preseason WNIT tournament. The loser will drop to the consolation bracket and play one more contest Nov. 20/21. Each team is guaranteed three games in the preseason WNIT. 

Jose Fernandez's 2015 women's basketball team returns all five starters, including All-American Candidate Courtney Williams, from a team that posted a 27-8 (15-3 American) record in 2014-15 and finished the season in the top 25 rankings. The squad finished second behind eventual NCAA champion UConn in the American Athletic Conference and made an exciting NCAA Tournament run that saw USF top LSU in front of 5,560 fans in the Sun Dome in the NCAA regional round.

In 2015-16, the Bulls will be hosting their toughest schedule yet, including the opening rounds of the Preseason WNIT, along with perennial powers Penn State, Chattanooga, Oklahoma State and UConn making trips to Tampa. Season tickets, starting at just $65, are available for purchase online at USFBullsTix.com, by phone at 1-800-GoBulls or in person at the Gate B ticket office of the Sun Dome, with single game tickets going on sale in late September.

USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.

– #GoBulls –