The Bulls look for their fourth straight road win while trying to go 3-0 in The American.
TAMPA (Jan. 15, 2020) – USF closes out its back-to-back road stretch when it travels to Philadelphia to face Temple on Thursday at McGonigle Hall. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (ESPN3). The Bulls are looking for their fourth straight win, and to go to 3-0 in The American. In addition, USF looks to start the American Athletic Conference portion of its schedule 3-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, and just the third time since The American started for the 2013-14 season.
GAME 17 | THUR., JAN. 16, 2020 | 7 P.M. | PHILADELPHIA, PA | MCGONIGLE HALL | ESPN3
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: ESPN3
Dave Leno (PxP), Kelley Deyo (Analyst)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (iHeartRadio/GoUSFBulls.com)
Josh Appel (PxP)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com
Series: USF leads, 12-2
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: (215) 204-8499; tixsales@temple.edu
USF BULLS | 10-6 (2-0, AAC)
Last Game: Jan. 12 at Tulsa, W, 68-52
Next Game: Jan. 19 vs. UCF, 3 p.m.
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 364-265 (20th season)
at USF: Same
TEMPLE OWLS | 10-6 (3-1, AAC)
Last Game: Jan. 11 vs. SMU, W, 85-62
Next Game: Jan. 19 at Wichita State, 3 p.m.
Head Coach: Tonya Cardozza
Alma Mater: Virginia, 1991
Career Record: 221-153 (12th Season)
at Temple: Same
QUICK HITS
– USF comes into the Temple game looking for its second road win of the season, after dropping its first six … The Bulls are 1-6 this season away from the Yuengling Center and 9-0 at home.
– USF is coming off a 68-52 win over at Tulsa on Sunday, Jan. 12, in just its third true road game of the year … Sydni Harvey led the way with 20 points – including a career-high six three-point shots made – and Kristyna Brabencova added a career-high 17 points.
– USF has two players – Elena Tsineke (12.0) and Bethy Mununga (10.9) – averaging double-figure points, and four others netting 8.0 points per game or better.
TICKET & PROMOTION INFORMATION
– For ticket questions or to purchase tickets, please visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls … Single-game tickets are available; however; courtside seats are sold out for the 2019-20 season.
– Following USF’s game at Temple (Jan. 16, 7 p.m. ESPN3), the Bulls will return to the Yuengling Center on Sunday, Jan. 19 to face UCF in the first of two editions of the War on I-4 … Tip-off against the Knights is slated for 3 p.m. (ESPN2) … Fans in attendance will receive a Slime Rally Towel and Green Afros … In addition, family and friends of USF students can get discounted tickets for both the women’s and men’s (Feb. 1) War on I-4 basketball home games … They can either get upper sideline seats for $10 or baseline seats for $7 … That is a discount of 50 percent off for the men’s ticket and 35 percent off for the women’s … The link to purchase these tickets can be found at https://usf.spinzo.com/?group=19FamilyFriendsWeekend … Additional information can be found on the link.
UP NEXT FOR USF
– After their game in the City of Brotherly love against Temple, the Bulls return to the Yuengling Center on Sunday, when they face UCF in the first of two editions of the War on I-4 … Tip-off against the Knights is slated for 3 p.m. (ESPN2).
– USF will then head back on the road, and back to America’s Heartland, to take on Wichita State on Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET (ADN) … The Bulls then close out the month of January with two straight at home against Tulane, on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. (BullsVision) and then Houston on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. (ADN).
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BULLS
– In just 11 games, Elena Tsineke has already made her presence felt for the Bulls after being cleared to play by the NCAA … Tsineke missed the first five games of the season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA … A native of Greece, Tsineke leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game … She has scored double figures in eight of the 11 games she has played in, including career-high 19-point efforts against Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 29 in the Cancun Challenge and against Cincinnati in The American opener on Jan. 5 … She is shooting 41.3 percent (43-for-104) from the field, including 34.6 percent (18-for-52) from behind the arc, and 84.8 percent (28-for-33) from the free-throw line.
– Bethy Mununga comes into Thursday’s game averaging just shy of a double-double in the 13 games she has played this season … She missed the three games – Idaho, Mississippi State and UNLV – with a hamstring injury … Her 10.9 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per outing are second and first on the team, respectively, and her rebounds per game average is second in The American, through Jan. 13 … She has scored in double figures in eight of the 13 games played, including career-highs of 16 points at Baylor (Nov. 19), against Brown (Dec. 30) and Cincinnati (Jan. 3) … She’s shooting 52.7 percent (59-for-112) from the field on the year.
– Mununga has recorded a double-double in six of the 13 games she has played in … She is third in The American, and 48th in the nation, in double-doubles through Jan. 13 … She has grabbed double-digit rebounds in eight games this season.
– Freshman Maria Alvarez – lost for the season with a knee injury suffered against Cincinnati on Jan. 5 – was third on the team, averaging 8.8 points per game, and second in assists, dropping 3.3 dimes per game, through her last game against Cincinnati … She had a career afternoon, pouring in 20 points against VCU on Nov. 15 … Alvarez posted a 14-point effort against Idaho on Dec. 15, with 12 of her 14 points coming in the fourth quarter on 4-for-4 shooting … She hit back-to-back threes in the last two minutes of the game to secure the win.
– Alvarez’s 34 three-point field goals made were third in The American and 67th in the nation at the time of her injury on Jan. 5.
– Sydni Harvey is starting to get back into game shape after missing the first 10 games of the season due to a leg injury … Harvey is third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game, and has scored double figures in the last two games played, with 18 points against Cincinnati on Jan. 5 and 20 points at Tulsa on Jan. 12 … She is shooting 43.5 percent (10-for-23) from the field and 69.2 percent (9-for-13) from behind the three-point arc in her last two games … She set a career record for three-point shots made in a game with six at Tulsa (6-for-7).
– Tamara Henshaw, second on the Bulls in rebounding, comes into the game against Tulsa with 806 career rebounds, reaching the 800-rebound plateau with her seven boards against Cincinnati on Jan. 5 … She is now just 17 rebounds shy of joining Nalini Miller (2003-07) in seventh all-time at USF with 823.
– Henshaw is ninth in the AAC in rebounds per game, grabbing 7.5 per outing, through Jan. 13.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
– Temple comes into its game with USF with a 10-6 overall record, and a 3-1 mark in The American, following its 85-62 win over SMU on Jan. 11 … The Owls are in the midst of a four-game winning streak, their longest of the year, and have been victorious in five of their last six games.
– Temple has three players averaging in double figures in the scoring column led by Mia Davis and her 19.1 points per game … Joining Davis are Ashley Jones, netting 16.1 points per outing, and Marissa Mackins, scoring 13.5 points per contest … In addition, Davis is also grabbing 10.9 rebounds per game … Davis, the only player in the AAC averaging a point and rebounding double-double, is third in The American in scoring and is the league leader in rebounding.
THE SERIES AGAINST THE OWLS
– Thursday’s game marks the 15th meeting between USF and Temple, with the Bulls holding a 12-2 series lead, dating back to the inaugural meeting in January of 2014 … USF is 5-1 all-time against the Owls in Philadelphia, and has won four consecutive games.
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 eighth consecutive 19-win season and eighth straight postseason appearance in 2018-19. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Enna Pehadzic and Sydni Harvey.
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 19 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 350 games.
– #GoBulls –
