USF Women Crush Tennessee-Martin 78-44

[Ricky the Bull]

2-0!

USF Women’s Hoops Wins Second Straight To Start Season

Tampa, FL (November 20, 2005) – When one of your standout players – All-America Candidate Jessica Dickson (Ocala, FL) - scores 18 of her game high 23 points in the first half, and the team proceeds to hold the opposition to 22 points in each half, and sets a new school single game record for blocked shots (15), those are usually the ingredients for a pretty successful afternoon. Well, today was no exception for the University of South Florida women’s basketball team as it won its second straight game with a dominating 78-44 victory over Tennessee-Martin in the final day of the Image Depot Shootout at the Sun Dome.

“It’s great to start a season off the way we have,†said USF head coach Jose Fernandez. “The big thing is that we had an opportunity to get some people a lot of minutes and that’s a good thing. We only played Jessica Dickson 26 minutes and she had 23 points.â€Â

The Bulls (2-0) dominated the Skyhawks (0-2) in every facet of the game while jumping out to a commanding 44-22 lead at the intermission. Dickson would own 18 of those 44 points while shooting a blistering 8-13 (61.5 percent) from the field, including a 2-5 clip from behind the three-point arc in the first stanza.

The Bulls would never look back extending its lead to as many as 41 points (76-35) when Jessica Jackson (Roswell, GA) hit one of her five three-pointers with 6:13 left in the game. The freshman would finish the contest with a career high 15 points.

Also finding themselves in double figures in the scoring column were Ezria Parsons (Bushnell, FL) with 12 points and Rachael Sheats (Marietta, GA) with 10 points.

As a team, the Bulls shot 49.2 percent (31-63) from the field and 45 percent (9-20 from the behind the arc.

As impressive as USF’s offensive display was, the Bulls defense stole the show. Nalini Miller (Capital Heights, MD) led an impressive shot blocking display with a career high seven rejections moving her into second on the schools career blocked shot chart with 84.

In addition, USF set a school single game mark with 15 blocks surpassing the old record of 12 set against St. Francis (NY) on Nov. 27, 2004.

The Bulls also forced UT-Martin into 23 turnovers which would lead to 30 points.

The margin of victory allowed USF to work one some additional aspects of their game.

“The second half we had enough points on the board and I really wanted to concentrate on the half court defense,†said Fernandez. “We didn’t full court press in the second half because we know what we can get out of our full court pressure. We just need to buckle down in the half court, that’s what we need to get better at.â€Â

USF will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 23 when it faces in-state foe Jacksonville at 7 p.m. in the Sun Dome.

For ticket information please call the USF athletic ticket office at 1-800-GoBulls.

USF Post Game Notes

- Jessica Dickson earned Most Valuable Player of the Image Depot Shootout averaging 20.5 points per game … In addition, Nalini Miller, and Ezria Parsons joined her from USF … Terra Wallace (Texas-Arlington) and Carlene Hightower (LaSalle) round out the all-shootout team.

- USF won its second straight game, starting the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

- The Bulls’ 49.2 percent from the field marks the second straight game that USF has hit for better than 48 percent from the field … They shot 48.3 percent from the floor against Texas-Arlington in the season opener on Nov. 19.

- Nalini Miller moved into sole possession of second place on USF’s career blocked shot list finishing the game with 84 … She surpassed Wanda Guyton (1985, 87-89) who finished her career with 77 … Keira Rozier (1992-95) is the school record holder with 107.

- Miller also established a single game career high with seven … That total is also second on the individual single game list.

- Miller recorded 10 blocks in her first two games this year.

- Jessica Dickson’s 23 points marks her 24th career 20-point game at USF.

- Dickson started in her 63rd consecutive game at USF.

- Jessica Jackson had a career day in her second collegiate outing … She tallied 15 points on 5-11 shooting from the field – all behind the three-point arc.

- USF’s with just three people on the bench outscored the Skyhawks’ reserves 22-2

http://gobulls.usf.edu/Sports/News.asp?i=1987&s=Basketball

[Apis Bull]

Way to go ladies!!!

[bulls96go]

hope the men catch up to you soon!

[HOTMello2005]

Ci-Ci!!!

Sincerely,

Pep Band 2005

[Rabbi Bull]

isn't it chi-chi?