Jasmine Wynne Leading WBB

The 2011-2012 season has gotten off to a solid start for Coach Fernandez and his team. After coming off of a 12-19 disappointing season last year, the Bulls are 6-4, half way to last years win total. They have done it without last seasons leading scorer Andrea Smith who continues to recover from ACL surgery and without newcomer Inga Orekhova, who is one of the highest ranked recruits in program history. So what has been the difference this season for USF? The real game changer for USF has been the play of senior guard Jasmine Wynne.

Rush Through the Roster: Andrea Smith

(Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

We continue to look at the 2011-2012 women's team as we look at the arguably the best player on the roster, Andrea Smith. The senior guard was nearly unstoppable last season, but went down in the Big East tournament with a torn ACL. She will probably miss time to start the season, but when she returns, she will own the Big East once more.

Ladies Come Up Short Again to Pitt

The ladies 2010-2011 basketball came to an end this afternoon as the Bulls lost again to Pitt, this time in New York City in the first round of the Big East tournament 63 to 60. The Bulls, 112-19 (3-13), were down big early in the first half, but were able to rally in the second and come within just a few points in the last seconds. They did all of this without leading scorer Andrea Smith, who missed the entire game after suffering a knee injury just a minute into the game. The lack of Smith's presence on the court hurt the offense, but the Bulls rallied and made it one hell of a game.

Leondra Doomes-Stephens, in her final game as a Bull, had 13 points. Andrell Smith made up for the lost production from her sister and scored 17 points. Kaneisha Saunders had 17 points coming off of the bench as well.

I truly felt the Bulls would win this game. They had the momentum (2 straight wins), had Grant back, and knew how to beat Pitt. But when Andrea Smith went down that early, it was heartbreaking to see. Smith was the heart of the team and the loss of her shooting and scoring hurt the Bulls and put them down early. Hand it to Fernandez and his amazing staff. They were able to rally the team and get them focused again after falling behind big early. The ladies pulled together and fought to the bitter end. Thank you ladies for a great season. I will have a full season recap later on. Go Bulls!

Ladies Win Thriller Over Villanova

Despite the lose of Porsch Grant for two games, the Bulls were able to steal a road win for the first time this season as they knocked off Villanova, 59 to 58. Andrea Smith made a clutch shot at the end of the game to get the victory for the Bulls.

Leondra Doomes-Stephens stepped up big in this game as she scored 19 points and pulled down 7 rebounds. Tiffany Connor had a big game as well, scoring 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Andrea and Andrell Smith both had 9 points as Andrea struggled from the field but made the key shot when she needed. Daleisha Carn had 8 points as well.

This was a great victory for the Bulls that have played so hard all season and worked so hard, but only came up short recently. The road victory helps gives the ladies confidence heading into the final game of the season and hopefully into the Big East tournament. The ladies are next back in action against on Monday night as they host #19 Georgetown on Senior night. Porsche Grant will not play in this game, but the Bulls will look to end the season with a victory against a ranked team.

Bulls Prepare for Villanova

The Bulls will struggle rebounding without Porsche Grant, who has been suspended for the final two regular season games (Picture:www.gousfbulls.com)

The Bulls will continue their two game road trip as they take on Villanova tomorrow at noon. The Bulls, 10-18 (1-13) are coming off of a tough loss to Rutgers and will be without senior center Porsche Grant who has been suspended the final two games of the season due to her obscene gestures as she exited the court during the Rutgers game.

The loss of Grant will affect the Bulls not only on offense, but on defense. Coach Fernandez has relied on guards to do the bulk of the scoring and does not have many tall players that can get inside and help rebound. Grant led the team in rebounding this season and also helped contribute on offense. The loss of her presence on the boards means the Bulls will have to shoot a high percentage and other tall players, like Leonda Doomes-Stephens, who averages 4.8 rebounds per game, will have to step up in her absence.

The Bulls will have to rely heavily again on Andrea Smith, the only Bull averaging in double figures this season at 17 points per game. Smith has carried the load this year and will have to take over again as the Bulls continue to struggle to find any consistent offense. Twin sister Andrell Smith, averaging 8.1 points per game, has been shooting better lately and will have to have a big game as well to help the Bulls get a much needed win on the road.

This is a must win for the Bulls. Villanova is 10-17 (2-12) and not a big time power in the Big East. The Bulls need a road win to help rebuild their confidence after the Rutgers collapse and the Big East tournament looming. A win here will help build their confidence, get them back on track, and hopefully keep their season alive in the Big East tournament for more than one game. Good luck ladies!

Ladies Falter Again

Andrea Smith led the Bulls with 20 points, but it wasn't enough as the Bulls lost again on the road (Picture credits: thedailycaller.com)

The Bulls lost another tough game on the road after leading by as much as 17 points against Big East foe Rutgers, falling 52 to 46. The Bulls led at half time and came out firing in the second half, but a late run by the Scarlet Knights and cold shooting by the rest of the USF team, led to the Bulls demise.

Andrea Smith once again led all scorers with 20 points for USF. Andrell Smith and Leondra Doomes-Stephens each scored 7 points as well. No one else was a scoring threat for USF as the Bulls struggled once again to get points going. Porsche Grant had a team high 10 rebounds as well.

The Bulls 10-18 (1-13) will continue the two game road trip as they travel to take on Villanova on Saturday at noon as they hope to get a road win this year. They then return home to take on #18 Georgetown at 7 PM before they head to NYC for the Big East tournament.

It has been a rough year, but the team is still trying and competing and battling each game. This tough loss hurts, but please make sure to mark on your calendars the game on Monday.

Ladies Back in Action Tonight

The Bulls (10-17, 1-12 in conference play) are on the road for a pivotal match up against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights tonight at 7:30PM.

The Bulls season has been disappointing. The ladies have come close in many games only to lose them in the second half. The offense has been hot and cold and simple mistakes have cost Fernandez and his squad many games. But the team is still battling and trying to end the year on a high note and hopefully get a win or two in the Big East Conference.

Andrea Smith is the only Bull averaging double figures in scoring (16.9) and will have to carry the team again for the Bulls. Twin sister Andrell Smith averages 8.2, Porsche Grant averages 7, and Kaneisha Saunders averages 6.8 points per game. Everyone will have to contribute tonight and try to cut down on the mistakes if the Bulls want to get a win on the road (1-1 all time at Rutgers; Rutgers is 15-11 (8-5) on the season).