DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Dec. 15 / 9 p.m. ET
OPPONENT/EVENT: Northern Colorado
LOCATION: Bank of Colorado Arena, Greeley, Colo.
Video: Big Sky
RADIO: News Talk Florida 820-AM | GoUSFBulls.com
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TAMPA, DEC. 14, 2015 – The University of South Florida Women's Basketball team will play in unchartered territory Tuesday, at 4,658 feet above sea level to be exact. The Bulls will face the Bears of Northern Colorado in a 9 p.m. ET nightcap in the Bank of Colorado Arena.
In their last outing, at 48 feet above sea level, the Bulls stretched their undefeated streak in the Sun Dome to 6-0. USF downed Chattanooga 61-33, and held the Mocs to the fewest allowed points in a game since defeating Florida Atlantic 76-20 in the opening round of the post season WNIT March 15, 2012.
Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) led the Bulls with 15 points, 11 rebounds in her fourth double-double of the season, but Alisia Jenkins (Statesboro, Ga.) grabbed 12 rebounds and became the Bulls' career rebounding leader. Jenkins surpassed the previous program record of 1,077 rebounds set by Wanda Guyton in 1989 and now has 1,080 career rebounds.
The Bulls rebounding effort has made all the difference this season. The Bulls are out-rebounding teams by a margin of +13.9 rebounds per game. Jenkins leads the American with 14.4 rebounds per game, but Williams ranks fourth in the leage with 9.4. In USF's win over Chattanooga Sunday, it held a 50-31 rebounding advantage.
Bulls Bites
· Courtney Williams was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season, the league office announced Monday. Williams, recently named to the Naismith Trophy Award Early Season Watch List, averages 25.4 points per game and ranks second in Division I.
· Williams now has 1,744 career points, 720 rebounds and 255 assists and looks to become just the second player in program history to surpass the 2,000-point mark. Williams is chasing the USF Career Points leader Jessica Dickson ('07) who ended her four years with 2,402 points. Williams is on pace to become the first USF player to ever post 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists.
· USF ranks in the Top-5 in The American in 15 statistical categories, and leads the league in rebounding and offensive rebounds. The Bulls average 46.1 rebounds per game.
· The Bulls are ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 Poll released Monday and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll released last Tuesday (12/8). USF has been ranked as highly as No. 18 (AP Poll) and No. 17 (USA Today Coaches Poll) this season; both are the highest rankings in program history.
Around the American
· In the latest AP poll, No. 1 UConn remained at the top spot while No. 20 USF moved up one spot.
· There are no games scheduled for Monday. Two American teams will be on the road on Tuesday. Memphis hopes to return to .500 on the season as the Tigers travel to Central Michigan at Noon ET (ESPN3). No. 20 USF looks to extend its winning streak to four games as the Bulls travel to Northern Colorado at 9 p.m. ET.
· Tulsa captured its third win of the season in a 74-63 victory against Little Rock on Sunday. Ashley Clark tied a career-high with 26 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds to lead the Golden Hurricane. Teanna Reid posted 18 points while Erika Wakefield recorded 13 points and four steals.
· UCF fell to RV/RV St. John's, 70-42, at CFE Arena on Sunday. Nyala Shuler produced her first career double-double with a team-high 11 points and 10 rebounds. Joslyn Massey reeled in a game-high 14 rebounds to go with seven points.
· Cincinnati dropped a tightly contested matchup against Xavier, 65-56, at the Cintas Center on Sunday. Jasmine Whitfield led the Bearcats with 14 points. Ana Owens produced 13 points while Bianca Quisenberry added 10 rebounds and three steals.
Northern Colorado's Scout
· Northern Colorado has hit a speed bump in its last two games falling to South Dakota State and Colorado State. The Bears have struggled shooting in those games just hitting on 39.8 percent of their shots and averaging 54.0 ppg.
· In its last outing, UNC couldn't overcome shooting woes, falling to rival Colorado State 62-46. UNC shot just 34.9 percent from the field during the game and had a 10:50 field goal drought over the second and third quarter.
· Coach Ethridge always preaches to her team that if they score 70 points they are in a good position to win. That has held true this season with UNC scoring at least 70 points in four of its five wins.
Up Next
USF will return to Tampa, Dec. 20 and host Oklahoma State. The Bulls will look to stay undefeated at the Sun Dome and tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
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 –
