Women’s basketball scores its highest season-opener to date
Talk about a debut.
Newcomers Alexis Givands and Janae Stokes helped USF defeat Central Connecticut State 100-48 Saturday night at the Sun Dome. The 100-point total marked the highest for a season opener under coach Jose Fernandez.
“We got up and down the floor tonight well, and that’s the way we want to play,” Fernandez said. “If you look at the three newcomers, well, they played pretty well tonight.”
Givands didn’t miss a shot in the first half, and hit her first nine of the game, en route to finishing with 20 points.
“Coach told me that I need to look to shoot from now on, so that’s what I went out and did,” she said.
Stokes — who transfered from Gulf Coast Community College with Givands — put 20 points on the board as well, and hit four three-pointers. She said her success came from CCSU playing primarily in a zone defense.
“We played with high energy tonight,” she said. “As a shooter, I prefer a zone defense, and I got some open looks tonight and just took them well.”
Led by a 14-2 start, the Bulls jumped out to a 53-18 halftime lead. Shouth Florida played primarily in a full-court press defense for the entire game, and held CCSU to 25 percent from the field while forcing 33 turnovers. Fernandez said the full court press is something they’ll go into often.
“We played well defensively, and that’s the way we need to continue to play,” he said.
South Florida moves into the finals of the USF Shootout against Loyola University. Loyola defeated Harvard 78-69 earlier at the Sun Dome. The game is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday
“Tomorrow will be a tough game,” Fernandez said. “However, if we go out and play the way we did tonight, we should do well in any game.”
More Stories
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
Here’s why these USF softball players chose their jersey numbers
For athletes, the number they wear is more than the added fabric on the back of their jersey. It often tells a deeper story about the players — who they are and where they come from. Here’s why these three USF softball players chose their respective jersey numbers. Related: USF softball is gaining momentum during […]
USF football head coach Alex Golesh: The man behind the process
Football coach Alex Golesh said USF has been on his mind since his own days as a college student when the program was top five in the country. “I distinctly remember sitting there watching it and thinking ‘What is S Florida and what are they doing in the top five in the country?’” Golesh said. […]
USF baseball matches last season’s wins at midseason
USF baseball has reached its midseason, powering through a turnaround year. Despite losing to Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday 7-5, It has already won 21 games, matching the same total from last season with a road victory against Tulane on Sunday. The Bulls (21-16, 7-5 AAC) stand third out of 10 teams in the conference. […]
USF men’s basketball was gutted by the transfer portal. Here’s who remains on the roster.
Things move pretty quickly in this new world of college basketball thanks in large part to the explosion of the transfer portal. Less than a month removed from a second round exit in the National Invitation Tournament, USF men’s basketball looks a lot different than it did in mid-March. In the span of a […]
USF softball is gaining momentum during season’s final stretch
As the USF softball season draws to a close, it seems the team has found some momentum. The Bulls (30-16, 9-9 AAC) have won six of its last seven games. In the last nine days, they have won their last two conference series and stunned the then-ranked No.9 Florida Gators on Wednesday. USF had yet […]