Setting The Scene
Date: Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008
Time: 2 p.m.
The Matchup: USF vs. Coppin State
Location: USF Sun Dome, Tampa, Fla.
Webcast: GoUSFBulls.com Watch & Listen on BullsVision Premium | Live Stats
Radio: 1010 AM CBS Sports Radio with Garrett Walvoord (Play-by-Play) and Andrik Frazier (Color Commentary); WBUL 1620 AM
Last Time Out: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 103-55 win over Stetson
Next Game: Thursday, Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m. vs. No. 7/6 California in the Paradise Jam, University of the Virgin Islands Sports & Recreation Center, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
USF-Coppin State Game Notes
The University of South Florida women's basketball team looks to end it's four-game season opening homestand on a winning note on Sunday when Coppin State visits the Sun Dome ... Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ... The game can be heard live on 1010 AM - CBS Sports Radio with Garrett Walvoord calling the action and former USF men's standout Andrikk Frazier providing color commentary ... In addition, fans can follow the action via the world wide web by logging onto GoUSFBulls.com and selecting BullsVision Premium to get live audio and video streaming ...This current four-game home stretch - in which the “Green and Gold” will have played four games in eight days - is the second longest that the Bulls will play this year ... Following its return from the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands from Nov. 27-29, USF will embark on a six-game homestand that will stretch from Dec. 5, when it faces to Florida International, to Dec. 28 against Jackson State ... The Bulls look to go 4-0 for the third time in the past four years ... while also accomplishing the feat during 2005-06 season (beginning the year 5-0) and the 2006-07 campaign (starting 7-0) ... USF also started out with a minimum of a 4-0 record in 1976-77 (8-0), 2001-02 (7-0), 1999-00 (7-0) and 1998-99 (5-0) ... The Bulls also look to continue their success in the month of November during the Jose Fernandez era ... Since the 2000-01 campaign, USF has turned in a 36-8 slate in November, a 18-2 record over the past three seasons and a 23-4 ledger over the past four years ... The Bulls are coming off another impressive performance with a 103-55 win over in-state foe Stetson ... It marked the second time in the past three games that USF reached the century mark ... In addition, it was just the third time in the program's 37-year history that the Bulls have hit 100 points more than once in a season ... Jazmine Sepulveda poured in a season-high 24 points - two shy of equalling her career-best - while Shantia Grace chipped in with 19 points and Brittany Denson had 12 in the win ... So far this season, two of the top of the top three scorer's are newcomers with Sepulveda pacing the way netting 15.7 points per game ... Junior college transfer's Janae Stokes and Alexis Givands are also netting 14 and 13 points per game respectively ... Melissa Dalembert is pacing the way on the glass grabbing 7.3 points per contest ... As a team, USF is averaging staggering 99 points per game and has defeated it's opponents by an average margin of victory of 51.7 points ... The Bulls have not scored less than 94 points in any of the first three games and have only allowed more than 46 points once (55 to Stetson).
Scouting Coppin State
Coppin State comes into Sunday's game following a 77-36 loss to George Washington on Nov. 17 in Washington, DC, the Eagles only game of the short season ... Today's contest is the second of seven games that Coppin State will play on the road to start the season ... The seven-game stretch will end in Gainesville on Dec. 10 against Florida.
Jennifer Martin leads the Eagles in scoring averaging 8.0 points per game while Whitney Cunningham is tops on the glass grabbing 9.0 per contest.
Coppin State had a tough outing from the field against George Washington shooting just 20.6 percent (13-63) ... They were also just 10-19 (52.6 percent) from the free throw line in the loss.
Tthe Series vs. The Eagles
Tonight's game marks just the second meeting all-time between USF and Coppin State with the Bulls leading the all-time series 1-0.
The two schools last met on March 19, 2007 in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament ... The Bulls handed the Eagles a 66-49 loss in back of 24 points and 10 rebounds from Jessica Dickson and 14 points from Rachel Sheats ... USF then advanced to the third round of the WNIT to face Virginia when it lost 73-71 ... In the win the Bulls set a new single-game record for blocked shots with 16, a record which still stands.
USF vs. The MEAC
The Bulls are currently 14-12 all-time against teams from the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference ... Despite their being 26 games played against MEAC schools, USF has only faced three of its members in its 35-year history - Bethune-Cookman (8-2), Coppin State (1-0) and Florida A&M (5-10).
Last Time Out
USF is coming off it's third straight win to start the season with a 103-55 win over Stetson on Nov. 18 ... The victory marks the third time in the past four years that the Bulls have started the season with a 3-0 record, and is the second time in USF's three games this season that they have reached the century mark.
Jazmine Sepulveda led the way with a game-high 24 points - two points off her career-high - while Shantia Grace added 19 points and Brittany Denson chipped in with 12 points ... Jessica Lawson fell just short of her first double-double of the season with nine points and nine rebounds.
In addition to Sepulveda falling just two points shy of her career high, Brittany Denson also fell just short of a career high for blocked shots rejecting four ... Her career best is five two times, with the last coming last year against Cincinnati on Feb. 19, 2008).
Although USF shot just 28.6 percent (10-35) from three-point range in the win over Stetson, it's 35 three-pointers attempted was a season high and equalled the fifth most in a game in school history.
The Bulls' 10 trey's made is also tied for the ninth most in a single game.
USF improved its record to 11-0 all-time when scoring 100 points.
Double Dippin'
Melissa Dalembert recorded the Bulls' first double-double of the season, against Loyola (MD) on Nov. 16, in the championship game of the USF Shootout with a 13-point, 12-rebound performance ... In addition, it was Dalembert's second career double-double following her 19-point, 12-rebound effort against New Hampshire on Nov. 17, 2007.
Putting Up A 30-Spot
Fortunately this is on the forcing end and not the committing end ... In their two games of the USF Shootout, the Bulls forced Central Connecticut and Loyola (MD) into 33 and 35 turnovers respectively after not accomplishing that feat at all during the 2007-08 season.
The last time that an opponent of USF recorded 30 or more turnovers was on Nov. 18, 2006 when Texas Southern handed the ball over 39 times in an 89-37 loss to the Bulls ... In that game USF scored 50 of it's 89 points off turnovers.
The last time that the Bulls recorded better than 30 turnovers twice in a season was during the 2003-04 campaign when Wagner had 32 in the season opener on Nov. 21 and Florida Atlantic had 35 on Dec. 30, 2003.
Give Me That
In addition to the back-to-back 30 turnover games by Central Connecticut and Loyola (MD), USF also recorded consecutive 20-steal outings with 23 against CCSU and 20 against the Greyhounds ... Last season the Bulls didn't log more that 17 steals in any one game, and only had double-digit steals in eight games.
The last time the Bulls had 20 steals was against Texas Southern on Nov. 18, 2006 when they had exactly 20.
USF Goes 2-0 During Preseason
USF posted a 2-0 record in it's two exhibition game of the preseason this year ... The Bulls defeated the Miami Sun, 91-67 on Nov. 1 and then handed DT3 one of it's two losses with an 81-55 setback on Nov. 5.
Brittany Denson led five players in double figures with 15 points and rounded out her double-double with 11 rebounds with the Bulls' win over the Miami Sun ... Janae Stokes chipped in 13 points while freshman Jasmine Wynne added 12 in the win ... Shantia Grace and Alexis Givands each had 11 points apiece ... Porche Grant added 11 rebounds joining Denson with top honors on the boards ... USF shot 49.3 percent (33-67) while the Sun hit just 35.9 percent (23-64) of their shots from the floor and 22.2 percent (4-18) from behind the three-point arc.
Jazmine Sepulveda got back on track after a rough outing against the Miami Sun after netting just nine points ... The Brooklyn native scored a game-high 18 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, including 3-5 from behind the three-point arc, and a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line ... Shantia Grace and Melissa Dalembert also ended up in double figures netting 13 and 12 points respectively.
USF shot 42.9 percent (30-70) from the field in the win while DT3 hit just 29.6 percent (16-54) ... The Bulls also rebounded DT3 54-40 on the night.
USF Picked To Finish 12th In Preseason BIG EAST Poll
USF was selected to finish 12th in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll at the league's annual media day in New York City ... Connecticut was tabbed first in the poll followed by Rutgers and Louisville who were second and third respectively ... Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Marquette, DePaul, West Virginia and Villanova rounded out the top 10 ... The rest of the poll is as follows: 11. Georgetown, 12. USF, 13. St. John's, 14. Seton Hall, 15. Cincinnati, 16. Providence.
Grace Tabbed Preseason All-BIG EAST
USF standout Shantia Grace was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Conference Team as voted on by the league's head coaches ... Grace earned the honor after being named second team All-BIG EAST at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season ... Last year she averaged 19.1 points, which was ranked 20th in the nation, and 4.0 assists per game ... In addition to her BIG EAST accolades, the Sarasota native is also considered a candidate for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the best women's basketball player in the nation under 5-6.
Fernandez Etches His Name In USF's Record Book
To say that being the head women's basketball coach at USF has been a work in progress is certainly an understatement ... Jose Fernandez comes into the 2008-09 season with a 119-123 career coaching record ... The Miami native reached the mark despite having to include a 4-24 campaign in his first year at USF (2000-01) ... Fernandez, however, has really left his mark on the program with what he has done over the past five seasons ... Fernandez has led the Bulls to five-straight postseason appearances - the WNIT in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, and the NCAA in 2006 - all while posting a 93-66 record since 2003-04.
Against Vermont on Dec. 28, 2006, Fernandez became USF's all-time leader in career wins surpassing former head coach - and former general manager of the now defunct Charlotte Sting of the WNBA - Trudi Lacey (1988-96) who held the top spot with 88 career wins.
Fernandez surpassed Lacey, who held the mark since 1996, accomplishing the feat in his 186th game, while Lacy took 215-out-of-219 games for 88 wins.
Dome Sweet Dome
USF has dominated its opposition on its home floor and have continued the trend, at least through the non-conference portion of the 2008-09 schedule ... The Bulls have turned in an impressive 54-14 overall record and a 33-5 mark in non-conference games on their home turf dating back to the 2004-05 season ... In addition, USF is 58-14 in the Sun Dome since defeating No. 18 TCU, 89-84, in double overtime on Feb. 2, 2004, unquestionably the defining game that has led to the Bulls' success over the last five years, and 39-12 on their home turf since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.
USF is 15-9 in BIG EAST games at home - since joining the conference for the 2005-06 season - and 20-10 in league games dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.
