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Rebuilt Bulls ready for conference play

TAMPA -- The loss to Florida on Saturday wasn't just the first of the year for the South Florida women's basketball team, it also was a barometer of the Bulls' rebuilding process.

According to coach Jose Fernandez, the Bulls are right on schedule -- if not slightly ahead. And if comparison is any kind of a blueprint, he might be right.

Taking a look at the 2001-02 Bulls after eight games compared to last season, it's clear this is an improved program. Now Fernandez and his squad have the task of continuing that improvement as their Conference USA schedule begins. "If you look at our team and look over the roster, six of our seven top scorers weren't here last year," said Fernandez, who suffered through a 4-24 campaign in his first season as coach last year. "This is a brand new ballclub and obviously we have a lot more offensive firepower."

Those could both be understatements.

The Bulls, with an influx of first-year players and junior college transfers, are averaging 86 points per game and boast five players scoring in double figures.

Junior guard Aiya Shepard, the lone returning starter, is the offensive leader with 18 points per game. Freshman guard Jen Kline has been outstanding, scoring 15 points per game. Junior forward Sonia Cotton, freshman forward Alana Tanksley and freshman center Allison Aubuchon have put up 14, 11 and 10 points per game, respectively.

At the same point last season, the Bulls were 2-6 after a 73-51 loss to Miami and had two players averaging in double figures. They would win two of their next 20 games, including one C-USA victory and an early exit from the conference tournament.

Fast forward to Saturday's 90-66 loss to the 20th-ranked Gators, which left USF 7-1. That leaves the Bulls third in C-USA behind Cincinnati (6-0) and Tulane (9-1) heading into the meat of their schedule.

"We don't have much time to sulk over one loss," Fernandez said after the Gators game. "I'm just proud of how well we competed. It was just that we didn't have enough size inside. But one game doesn't make a season, we've got a big game coming up."

The Bulls play three of their next four games on the road beginning with Sunday's game at Western Kentucky. After a home game Tuesday against Manhattan, the Bulls spend the rest of the month traveling to Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic and Jacksonville. That sets the stage for the Bulls' conference opener with Alabama-Birmingham on Jan. 6 in the Sun Dome.

"If you look at our team, we're getting good play from a lot of people," Fernandez said. "And we are competing well. That's the main thing."

That competitiveness had the Bulls down by just eight against the Gators in the second half. It also helped them to wins against Boston University, Southern Methodist and Miami. The Bulls' 76-68 win against the Hurricanes on Nov. 26 was pushed further into perspective two weeks later when Miami beat then No. 17 Texas 57-55.

"That's definitely a gauge for us," said Fernandez, whose squad received two votes in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll. "We beat Miami and they beat a top 20 team. That's a quality win and we think the country has taken a notice a little bit about us.

"Now we just have to keep playing at a high level."

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