USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com
USF will return to the Yuengling Center for its eighth straight postseason appearance, taking on Stetson in the first round of the WNIT at 7 p.m.
Matchup: USF Bulls (18-15, 7-9 AAC) vs. Stetson Hatters (16-15, 11-5 ASUN)
Date: Thursday March 21, 2019
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location:Tampa, Fla., Yuengling Center
TAMPA, Fla., March 20, 2019 – USF women’s basketball will take on in-state foe Stetson on Thursday night in the first round of the WNIT, hosted by the Bulls in the Yuengling Center at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
South Florida, despite a season of adversity in the form of four season-ending injuries, overcame the odds and fought to an 18-15 season overall, and a 7-9 clip in the American Athletic Conference. USF qualified to its sixth consecutive semifinal of The American tournament, after winning the first round and quarterfinal games. The Bulls last played a game on March 10th, and fell to No. 2 UConn in the championship semifinals.
The Bulls own a streak of eight straight seasons playing in a postseason tournament, and this will be the 15th postseason tournament under Fernandez in 19 seasons at the helm.
The last time the Bulls participated in the WNIT was 2015 and are no stranger to success in the tournament, as the USF women won the national crown in 2009. In USF’as last outing in the WNIT in 2015, the Bulls advanced to the semifinals.
TICKETS
Single-game tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. All 100 level seats can be purchased for $17 and all 200 level seats will be sold for $12.
USF students will receive free admission thanks to the generosity of the USF Bulls Club members.
PARKING
Parking will cost $10 for all patrons attending the postseason game at the Yuengling Center. USF students with an S permit may park in an S lot per usual.
THE OPPONENT
Stetson finished the season with a 16-14 record, and an 11-5 clip in the Atlantic Sun Conference, good enough for second place overall. During the regular season, Stetson faced two other American Athletic Conference foes, Tulsa and UCF. Both times, the Hatters fell, but just by one point to Tulsa despute double-digit margins to UCF. The Hatters have lost three of their last four games, including a loss to Kennesaw State in the ASUN quarterfinals.
The Hatters are led by Day’Neshia Banks with 14.9 points per game, and on the boards with 6.9 points per game.
In the all-time series against Stetson, USF leads 28-11 and is on an 11-game winning streak against the Hatters. USF and Stetson previously met Dec. 30, 2016, and the Bulls defeated the Hatters 74-60 in the Yuengling Center.
THE WNIT
The WNIT bracket is made up of 64 teams in a single-elimination championship format. The field includes 32 teams that earned an automatic berth, and 32 teams that were chosen at-large. The automatic qualifiers are the best teams available from the nation’s 32 conferences that were not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The first round begins on Wednesday, March 20th and culminates in the championship help on Saturday, April 6. All games are hosted by participating institutions.
For more information about the WNIT, visit womensNIT.com.
Notable
- USF is appearing in its eighth straight postseason appearance, and 15th postseason appearance under Fernandez.
- The Bulls are no stranger to success in the WNIT, winning the crown in 2009, and advancing to the semifinals in their last WNIT appearance in 2014.
- Under Jose Fernandez, in the WNIT, USF is 13-7.
- Enna Pehadzic was named second-team all-conference, while Sydni Harvey was named to the All-Freshman team.
- Pehadzic was named to the AAC All-Tournament team.
- 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) since January.
Follow the Action
USF will also provide a live BullsVision video stream of the game on www.GoUSFBulls.comm and it can be heard live on 1040 AM and the Bulls Unlimited channel on iHeartRadio, all free without a subscription.
Up Next
Should the Bulls advance, they will face the winner of James Madison University and North Carolina A&T, which face off on Friday night. Second round hosting sites are determined by the WNIT, but are always hosted by a participating school. The second round of the WNIT is March 23-26, and the Bulls could play any day during that time frame.
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, twoWNIT final four appearances, the 2009WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
–#GoBulls –
Lorie Garnett
