2-11-15

Taking the summer off to work or travel is a current trend among many USF students, but that may be changing soon.

Students currently qualifying for Bright Futures Scholarships will be able to advance their degree more quickly if Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to extend scholar-ship eligibility into the summer semester is accepted.

Though the proposal doesn’t plan to appropriate additional scholarship funds to students, it does allow students more flex-ibility in the way they choose to expend the 120 semester hours accounted for by Bright Futures.

USF’s director of financial aid, Billie Jo Hamilton, said the inclu-

sion of summer hours would accelerate learning and offer stu-dents more flexibility in graduat-ing early.

Enacting the proposal would partially alleviate students with Bright Futures of the costly sum-mer semester requirement. General student requirements mandated by the state and Bright Futures requirements meet at a perilous crossroad when discuss-ing the summer term.

“The state of Florida mandates that all students are required to take summer classes,” Hamilton

said. “If we make that a require-ment, students should be able to use their Bright Futures during the summer.”

The academic bar has been sharply raised for students hop-ing to attain Bright Futures. Maintaining the scholarship is equally difficult.

With recent shifts in the last two years for ACT/SAT require-ments, Hamilton estimates that 40 percent of students eligible in the 2012-13 school year would no longer remain eligible under the

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more MRSA-related bacterial infections are occurring every year, resulting in over 75,000 cases in the U.S., causing around 10,000 deaths annually.

What begins as a pink bump, often mistaken for a pimple, turns into a sore that resembles a red crater of blackened puss. Left untreated, MRSA can spread into the body and infect the organs, ultimately resulting in death.

What makes MRSA scary to doctors, however, is that treat-

ment options are dwindling and the increasingly drug-resistant bacteria has evolved against antibiotic vancomycin — long considered the best treatment against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.

“It’s a very serious problem,” said USF microbiologist Lindsey “Les” Shaw. “The issue that we’re having is that bacteria like MRSA are extremely drug resistant. If you check the medicine counter it’s pretty bare at the moment.”

Nearly five years of research is beginning to come together for Shaw, who has helped develop a potential antibiotic to fight MRSA.

Since their research started,

Shaw and his team have tested millions of compounds in search of the three to five containing antibiotic activity against MRSA that earned them a patent late last year.

Besides lectures at USF, Shaw presents his research in both the local area and around the world. At the conclusion of each dis-cussion, individuals affected by MRSA bacteria approach Shaw to thank him for the work he is doing toward a cure.

“When I talk to people that have been touched by MRSA it’s sobering because I spend so much time thinking about this bacteria,” Shaw said. “You really get a sense of perspective about

the serious nature of the prob-lem, and it kind of re-energizes and renews the need for you to keep striving toward making a difference and developing treat-ments.”

Many of these individuals have no idea that when Shaw was 13 years old, he too suffered from a MRSA infection. The main infect-ed area surrounded Shaw’s hip, so much so that he was forced to get hip pins. Doctors told him that he would have to undergo more treatment for the rest of his life.

“To me this is very personal,” Shaw said. “I really care about the lack of therapeutics and want

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InsIde thIs Issue

Montage

SPORTSLittle league legend looks to make immediate impact for USF.BACK

LIFESTYLEThe UnBULLievable Race returns with a chance to win big. Page 4

News.................................................................1 Lifestyle......................................................4Opinion.......................................................6

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The Index

Chance of Bright(er) Futures

Researchers see weakness in MRSA’s resilienceBy Zach LowieS T A F F W R I T E R

By Zach LeeteS T A F F W R I T E R

n See MRSA on PAGE 2

n See BRIGHT on PAGE 2

n Bright Futures for summer courses proposal could accelerate learning.

ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 2

to add more help for others.”In December 2014, Shaw’s

team received a patent for their modified quinazoline, a class of compounds used to treat malaria and cancer. USF chemists believe that quinazoline-based com-pounds have potential antibacte-rial properties that could effec-tively eradicate MRSA.

Much of the physical testing has been done by students who have worked with Shaw for the last five years, such as graduate assistant Whittney Burda.

As a microbiology major, Burda saw her undergraduate program offered elective credit for research hours. Shaw was the only professor researching bacterial pathogenicity at USF when Burda started, so she soon began working within his lab that applied to her desired area of work.

As part of the newly received patent, both Shaw and a USF chemist were awarded the rights, along with two graduate assis-tants. Burda was thrilled to learn that she would be credited by Shaw after all the work she had been through.

“The most intriguing part of all of this is the prospect of having a new drug on the market in the next couple of years,” Burda said.

“This is definitely the most excit-ing part of my graduate work so far.”

Should the team ever manage to sell their findings and gener-ate money, the graduate students will be equal partners and receive compensation.

While Shaw is working within his office on writing up the team’s findings, Burda is alongside more than 10 other students doing the benchwork for the research.

In Shaw’s nearly eight years at USF, he has trained over 50 graduate students.

“Students are the ones that do the work,” Shaw said. “I might come up with the projects but they’re the hands that get the job done.”

Although the team is mak-ing progress, the next five years will prove most important in the development process. With the patent now protected by USF, Shaw and his team can continue to develop their findings further in hopes of clinical trials in the near future.

“There’s something special here at USF that sets us apart from other labs around the coun-try,” Shaw said. “We have unique, talented people that do this type of work. USF is very focused on informational medicine, taking academic investigation and turn-ing it into successful treatment for humans. That’s what we’re on our way to do here.”

MRSAContinued from PAGE 1

USF microbiologists and chemists have patented a synthetic antibiotic that has shown promise in combatting MRSA infections, which have grown resistant to common treatments. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

stricter qualifications imposed on today’s students.

Currently, 17,659 under-graduate students take summer courses at USF’s Tampa campus. Approximately 68 percent of those students request financial aid for the summer, with roughly half that number receiving some form of financial aid.

Hamilton said the pros clearly outweigh the cons for both the student population and the uni-versity.

“It’s good for students to grad-uate quickly because school is expensive,” Hamilton said. “Every additional semester costs students $10,000 on average.”

However, he also said the expansion would require more faculty over summer, as well as more housing and dining costs on campus to accommodate the additional students.

For new students arriving at

USF with AP and Dual Enrollment credits, as well as Bright Futures eligibility, graduating in three years — and saving an estimated $20,000 or more — would be an effective springboard for enter-ing the workforce early and with minimal debt.

USF will have to jump on board with the new summer eligibil-ity by studying student behavior patterns in the coming summer semester and adapting with speed and ease to necessary changes in the amount of classes being offered to students, as well as choosing classes that can facilitate a broad spectrum of students’ needs.

“Certainly, with students reg-istering in March, we would per-haps have to be more nimble in adding courses based on demand,” Hamilton said. “If we see 2,000 more students in the summer than we have had his-torically, we would have to expand course options, which is a finan-cial commitment.”

According to Hamilton, as long

as USF offers high-demand class-es that will help students advance their degrees, the added tuition revenue would be sufficient to support the necessities of a more populous summer term.

Freshman Rachel Hardbarger, who has yet to take classes in the summer, said her motivation for doing so would be the state-wide requirement for students to complete nine hours of summer credits before graduation.

The environmental science major expects to graduate in 2018, but said she is interested in accelerating her graduation if given the opportunity.

Hardbarger receives Bright Futures funding at the medal-lion level, which offers students $77 per credit hour up to 120 hours. If Bright Futures expanded to include the summer semester, she admitted she would be more likely to return to USF during the summer.

Hosting more students in the summer, especially freshmen who have yet to face the challenges of

scholarship renewal, would cause a ripple effect across campus. Expanded dorm, dining and fac-ulty access would be necessary to accommodate the increased volume of summer-term students.

That is, unless USF expanded their catalogue of online classes in the summer term, effectively allowing students to return home for the summer while earning credits at a discounted rate.

Tess Puhak, a sophomore majoring in computer engineer-ing, said her experience with the summer term was overwhelm-ingly positive.

“I liked taking summer class-es,” Puhak said. “I enjoyed how empty the school felt. I took Great Performances on Film, which was perfect for the longer classes offered during summer.”

Puhak, who is also a medallion-level recipient of the Bright Futures Scholarship, said she would be interested in taking classes in the summer again, but would pre-fer to use that time for traveling abroad or acquiring an internship.

Though Scott’s proposal would invest $23.5 million to expand Bright Futures, critics argue that is throwing more money at a program that isn’t helping the stu-dents that need it the most.

Some lawmakers, such as state Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, argue the scholarship should lower its standards to help more students and that it should also cover even more of the costs of college.

“I haven’t heard any constitu-ents complaining about not hav-ing access to summer school,” Rodriguez said to The Tampa Bay Times. “What I have been hear-ing is that students at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University who would have been eligible for Bright Futures scholarships (under the old standards) are no longer eli-gible.”

Whether there will be any changes to Bright Futures won’t be known until March at the ear-liest, when Florida’s Legislature meets to vote on Scott’s 2015-16 budget.

BRIGHT Continued from PAGE 1

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Series opener against Rapid City, South Dakota, Merrell stood before an ESPN camera in his gold and red Southeast uniform, opened his mouth full of braces and gave the nationally-televised audience a glimpse of who he was.

“Hi, my name is Kevin Merrell,” he said, “and my favorite baseball player is (New York Yankees shortstop) Derek Jeter.”

By the end of the series, Merrell might as well have been a household name just like the future hall of famer.

Throwing like a veteran, Merrell combined with two other pitchers for a no-hitter in four innings.

A few days later, Citrus Park reached the U.S. semifinal against Shelton, Connecticut. It was one of the first instanc-es the team had faced adver-sity all series.

Trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning, two outs from elimina-tion, Merrell stepped to the plate and delivered a solo blast that tied the game.

His teammates tacked on six more runs for a come-from-behind 8-2 victory, but it was Merrell’s clutch home run that was replayed over and over later that evening on

ESPN’s SportsCenter.“It was crazy. I had never

been so pumped up after a home run like that,” Merrell said. “That was cool. That was definitely an awesome experi-ence.”

Citrus Park’s luck ran out two days later, as it fell in the elimination round quar-terfinal against Lake Charles, Louisiana to conclude its time in the World Series.

But even the sting of the loss didn’t hinder Merrell’s memories.

“I didn’t think I would ever have a chance to be a part of that,” he said. “Just being with the guys, we had the greatest group of guys. It was so much fun.”

***When Merrell entered

high school at Steinbrenner High in Lutz in 2010, his abili-ties quickly caught the eye of the school’s baseball coach, John Crumbley.

Crumbley, who won 575 games and three state titles in 22 years at Jesuit before starting Steinbrenner’s pro-gram when the school opened in 2009, had known Bud for years when he was the coach at Chamberlain, and had watched Merrell’s ascent in the World Series.

But it wasn’t his relationship with the family or Merrell’s past performance that made Crumbley consider Merrell for

a spot on the varsity team as a freshman; it was his work ethic and athleticism.

“He just led by example and led by his spirituality,” Crumbley said. “He was just always, always positive and happy.”

As the lone freshman at the varsity level, Merrell was instantly given the nickname

“Rookie” by his coaches and teammates, and it stuck through the end of his senior year.

Though he did not start much in his first year, Merrell appeared in every game as a defensive replacement or pinch runner, where he first showed off his speed, a skill that carried him through his high school career, including the team’s first-ever district title in 2013.

“You can’t teach speed,” Crumbley said. “You either have it or you don’t. You can teach finer parts of the game. But that elite speed that he

came in with was classic. That’s what allowed him to play every game as a fresh-man and to start in center field as a sophomore, second base as a junior and shortstop as a senior.”

Baseball wasn’t the only sport Merrell competed in. He also dabbled in golf and track and was known by many of

his peers for his prowess from three-point range during pick-up basketball games in gym class.

Merrell’s gym coach, Bobby Ennis, once pulled him aside after timing him during a 40-yard dash drill and told him he hadn’t seen anyone run faster since the late Freddie Solomon, a for-mer NFL receiver, who played college football at

the University of Tampa.“He’s just a gifted athlete,”

Crumbley said. “Hopefully, the way he helped our program in playing a variety of positions will help his opportunities at the next level and beyond.”

That gift turned into an offer from former USF coach Lelo Prado during his junior season. Without hesitating, Merrell committed and signed with the Bulls his senior year.

***When USF opens its season

Friday night at Clearwater’s Bright House Field against No. 18 Cal State Fullerton, there’s a good chance Merrell could

be in the team’s starting line-up in left field.

But Merrell’s mind isn’t on that. He just wants to continue to improve and, hopefully, one day earn another champion-ship experience, this time in Omaha for the College World Series.

“I love playing baseball and I’m going to do everything it takes to come out here and help the team win,” he said. “If that’s with me on the field, playing the outfield, or if I’m on the bench, cheering my teammates on, that will be it.

“Whatever I can do, that’s what I’m going to do.”

STORIEDContinued from PAGE 8

Kevin Merrell helped lead Citrus Park to the quarterfinals of the Little League World Series in 2008. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

guard Corey Allen Jr., who was named to the AAC weekly honor roll after averaging 17 points per game over the past week.

In addition to Allen, guard Troy Holston Jr. stepped up in the Bulls’ last game against Cincinnati, scoring 16 points and making four 3-pointers.

The 16 points by the fresh-man was a career high and the Bulls, who have only shot 30 percent from beyond the arc, would benefit from more con-sistent production from him as a three-point shooter going forward.

“In the middle of the sea-son, I wasn’t hitting shots after my ankle injury, but now I’m finally playing without con-

science and I feel like I can hit shots like I’ve always been doing,” Holston said.

Meanwhile, the Knights have not won since Jan. 14, when they beat Tulane in triple overtime.

UCF (9-13, 2-9) doesn’t have a standout scorer, but its guards have the ability to score from deep. Both B.J. Taylor and Adonys Henriquez, who are freshmen, shoot over 38 per-cent from three-point range.

Despite the Bulls’ inability to break out of their losing slump, Holston said he thinks the team is close to turning the corner.

“I’m encouraged by the last five games, because of how hard we played and how close we have come to winning, but we just need to close games out better,” Holston said.

UCF Continued from PAGE 8

moving to nine games in a row Tuesday when Williams scored with 21 points and nine rebounds.

“I always think about defense,” Williams said. “Once your defense gets going, your offense just starts on a roll.”

The Bulls outrebounded the Mustangs by only nine, but let their physical play dominate the game, committing 17 total fouls.

Even with 13 free throw attempts, SMU only managed to convert on seven, missing easy opportunities to pick up extra points.

USF will head to Greenville to face East Carolina (16-8, 7-6) on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU in the two teams’ first meeting of the season.

ROUTS Continued from PAGE 8

“I love playing baseball and I’m going to do everything it takes

to come out here and help the team win.”

Kevin MerrellUSF freshman utility player

LifestyleU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● W E D N E S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E4

UnBULLievable Race tests students’ brawn and brains

Described as “a race for some, an event for all,” the third annual UnBULLievable Race, hosted by USF, will take participating students on a wild quest around campus on Feb. 20.

The UnBULLievable Race is not a race based sole-ly on athletic ability, but also on the intelligence of its participants, which makes it open to every USF student. It takes place across campus and consists of obstacles and puzzles, which must be finished before 5 p.m. the day of the race.

“The race itself is pretty much an adventure race. It’s not your typical 5K, it’s not a running race. It’s almost like a scavenger hunt. Teams have to solve riddles and clues to figure out where they have to go to different locations on USF campus,” said Al Gentilini, the assistant director of facilities and aquatics for Campus Recreation.

The race was based on the idea of “The Amazing Race,” the international scavenger hunt reality show on CBS. Other races much like this have been

held around Tampa, but the UnBULLievable Race is different in that it allows students in teams of two to make a path around campus.

“We try to really make the challenges as mentally challenging as possible so it’s not just a race geared to the physically fit,” Gentilini said.

Students can walk, run or take the Bull Runner to finish all tasks before the end of the race. At the end of the race, each team must meet up in front of the Marshall Student Center.

Bailey Mosley, a first-year mass communications student, said she’ll be joining the race so she can enjoy a day exploring USF. As a first-year transfer student, she wanted to learn more about the cam-pus and thought this would be a fun way to do it.

In previous years, there have been as many as 120 teams, while this year, Campus Rec expects up to 150 teams. Each team has to complete a series of tasks, which will challenge the mind and, some-times, the body.

“Last year was a fun event we called ‘locks of luck’ and we had 125 combination locks on a fence. Each team, when they arrived, they got an index card with the combination that fit only one of those locks,” Gentilini said.

The time for the events can range anywhere from four minutes to 45 minutes. Other tasks have included listening to a tune and learning how to play it on an iPad. Gentilini pointed out that some-times these events could get the participants “wet and dirty.”

Outside of just having fun, there are other rea-sons for joining the UnBULLievable Race, including prizes. First-place winners will receive a $500 Visa gift card while second place winners will receive $300; the team in third place will win $150. Each team can also find one hidden “gem” which will win them a $25 gift card.

There are other prizes available from raffles and a costume contest. Each team can enter to win the costume prize and one team will receive a $50 gift card to a local business.

Students have until Feb. 17 to register for the race.

“It’s not just Campus Rec putting this on,” Gentilini said. “We direct it, design it and organize it, but other departments are involved. So we get them going to places that the average student on the average day don’t access or can’t access.”

By Polly Snover C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Now in its third consecutive year, the UnBULLievable Race sends students on a day-long scavenger hunt across campus. Given clues at each event in the race, teams of two are challenged to walk, run or take the Bull Runner to their next activity in an effort to win the grand prize. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY USF CAMPUS RECREATION

W E D N E S DAY, F E B RUA RY 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 5

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Opinion6

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the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966

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The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).

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BY PHONE

What you said A recent Guardian column argues that people are too

reliant on Google to remember things. Assistant multimedia editor Sebastian Contento asked students whether they agreed with this, or if they personally used search engines like Google

to memorize information.

“I would rather learn from person to person, that way information is associated

with somebody and is more easily remembered.”

— Christopher Jones, a senior majoring in music

performance

“Google is like asking a librarian for information. People think he has the

answer to everything, but since Google is dependent

on the Internet, a lot of information can be false.”

— Eduardo Callejas, a freshman majoring in art

“I use it just for giggles, like searching for random history facts. However, I do use it sometimes for background information

relevant to an assignment.”

— Brittney Gaudet, a sophomore majoring in

biomedical sciences

“I do understand people relying on Google too

much. Like today, I heard there was pink moss, so I searched immediately in

Google to see what it was.”— Jasmin Smith,

a junior majoring in interdisciplinary social sciences

Smartphones are not our second memory

With the convenience of hav-ing all the Internet has to offer at our fingertips, it would seem that the working memory gets to take a break while Google does all the work.

At least that’s the concern posed by a recent Guardian column that claims people too often “outsource” their brain’s memory to Google when stuck on the meaning of a word or the name of a celebrity. It even goes as far to suggest that people forget to Google things that they meant to Google earlier.

However, the availability of technology doesn’t mean society will become more like something from a Ray Bradbury novel. Assuming the fruits of technology are more of a danger than a convenience also assumes people lack the

responsibility or will to think for themselves.

If a legitimate fear should exist, it would be aimed par-ticularly at college students, as the Pew Research Center found that this demographic is more likely than the general popula-tion that owns cellphones to use the Internet on such devices.

However, having a smart-phone doesn’t mean it has to be surgically attached at the hand for constant reference to for-gotten information on Google or any other external memory. Being able to have technology such as cellphones at one’s dis-posal allows people to have a dictionary, encyclopedia, news-paper and tiny computer all at once, and that can’t be a bad thing unless, as the column suggests people would do with Google, they actually do ask Siri about everything.

After all, before it became common to hand one’s phone over to another person to get their contact information, peo-ple of course had other ways to reference important details, such as the somewhat obso-lete and completely physical address book.

So, remembering little things such as that one movie Adam Sandler was in doesn’t have to

be like a trivia game each time that or a similar thought pops into one’s head.

Relying on technology for ref-erence too much can be tricky, especially when technology can already affect how people learn. As reported by the Boston Globe, research from the jour-nal Psychological Science has shown that students who try to remember a set of words on a computer file that is saved are also able to remember a second set of words on an unsaved file better than those who didn’t save the first file. This outcome suggests saving information helps people learn new things.

While it may be unsettling to know that hitting “save” actual-ly impacts memorization, these results can still be read as a benefit that technology offers.

Having such direct access to most things one wants to know does seem like an intimidating feat that a little handheld device can do. However, rather than turn doubts or fears about tech-nology into a horror story, the conveniences it provides should simply be telling of changing times with different ways to reference the things people are itching to know.

Isabelle Cavazos is a junior majoring in English and Spanish.

C O L U M N I S T

Isabelle Cavazos

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Classifieds Crossword To place a classified ad go to http://www.usforacle.com/classifieds

Walk-to-USF 2bedroom/2bath fur-nished condo. Two-students $425/

month each.(727)787-8753 (727)729-0069

Interested in working as a medical scribe in the Tampa Bay area? Go to

www.msaflorida.com/job-opportunities to apply today!

Animal Caretaker wanted for upscale boarding kennel located on Morris

Bridge Road in New Tampa. Job entails cleaning, exercising and supervising daycare for the animals

in our care. Some animal experience would be helpful but not necessary.

Download application under Contact Us at our website, thelodgefordogs.com.

You may bring the application with you as we ask you apply in person. The Lodge at New Tampa 15403 Morris

Bridge Road approx. 1/2 mile south of the Cross Creek/Morris Bridge Road

intersection in New Tampa.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Veterinary Tech/Assistant or Recep-tionist needed for animal hospital

close to campus. Part-time or full-time. Experience a plus, but will train. Email

resume to [email protected].

HELP WANTED

Mural ArtistLooking for someone who can

create an “under the sea” mural on one textured wall 13’w x 10’h for baby nursery. Fee negotiable, paying cash. Need to start and finish ASAP...baby

is almost here! Email me your contact information, a breif introduction, and at-tach a sample of your work if possible.

[email protected]

SportsU N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F L O R I D A ● W E D N E S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E8

Baseball

Freshman brings storied past to USF

Long before Kevin Merrell was a promising freshman out-field prospect at USF, he was a curious toddler who, barely even at walking age, already had a mind for baseball.

The short, blond-haired boy would often venture outside his Odessa home and wander around to the side yard where his older brother, Tripp, would be hitting in a batting cage the family had installed.

That, in retrospect, is where Merrell’s career commenced.

Merrell would plop down on a bucket no bigger than him-self and watch keenly as Tripp hacked at each pitch that came his way.

One day, the curiosity led to Merrell emulating Tripp. Merrell would stand opposite his right-handed brother out-side the cage, lift a bat — that he could barely pick up — onto his shoulder and mimic almost everything Tripp did in stride.

The only difference? Merrell was a lefty.

“It was just like a mirror,”

his father, Bud, said with a laugh. “He would sit there and swing it and it was just the cutest thing and the funniest thing to see … I can picture it like it was yesterday.”

Little did they know what was to come.

***As Merrell grew older, his

talent in the sport did, too.Like most aspiring play-

ers, Merrell started in tee ball at Citrus Park in northwest Hillsborough County before moving to Little League soon after.

Merrell and his Citrus Park All-Star teammates dominated the circuit, winning the region titles in each of their first two seasons.

In 2008, when they became eligible for the Little League World Series at ages 11 and 12, their run of success height-ened.

Using its combination of power hitting and pitching, Citrus Park dominated its way through the Southeast regional tournament and finished 5-0.

In the semifinal against South Carolina, Merrell deliv-

ered a two-hit gem in six innings of work on the mound.

Two days later, Citrus Park routed Mobile, Alabama for the title to earn a trip to the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the first for a Florida team since 2003.

“We were so fortunate with the guys we had,” Merrell said. “It was the greatest. Probably one of the greatest experi-ences I’ve ever had, baseball-wise.”

Before the team’s World

Women’s Basketball

No. 25 USF routs SMU in Dallas

Kevin Merrell could make his USF debut Friday when the Bulls play No. 18 Cal State Fullerton. PHOTO PROVIDED BY TIM MCCLAIN

Shavontae Naylor was one of four Bulls to score in double digits as she scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

SMU never seemed to keep up with No. 25 USF’s fast pace throughout the game Tuesday night in Dallas.

The Bulls’ energy and defen-sive threat proved to be too much for SMU (5-18, 1-11) with only one player reaching double-digits in Destynee Hives-McCray at 11 points.

USF junior point guard Shalethia Stringfield knocked down a rain-bow three-point shot with 4:22 remaining in the first half to give the Bulls a 15-point lead. From there, the margin never dipped below 12 and USF (20-4, 11-1)

came away with the 72-51 victory. This year’s team is the fastest in

USF women’s basketball history to reach 20 wins in one season, and the first team to do so for three consecutive seasons.

All 14 players that made the road trip got some playing time, as the starters went to the bench shortly after 10 minutes left in the second half.

“I think it’s great for our team,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “Being able to give these players some playing time really means a lot.”

Standout junior guard Courtney Williams only played 25 minutes, but still continued her streak of games with 20 points or more,

Men’s Basketball

The Bulls will look to avoid losing 10 straight games when they visit rival UCF for the first time this season tonight.

USF (7-17, 1-10) currently sits at the bottom of the AAC, but UCF hasn’t been much better, sitting at ninth in the conference after dropping its last six games.

Despite the losses piling up over the past two months, coach Orlando Antigua believes the team is headed in the right direction based on its ability to stay in games against top conference teams.

“Every day is an opportu-nity for us to get better and to work and improve on our skills,” Antigua said. “We just have to keep plugging away, keep working, keep focusing on details, and the results will take care of themselves if we do that.”

Though the Bulls have lost nine straight, they continue to get contributions from senior

Troy Holston will look to improve upon his career-best 16 points against Cincinnati tonight at UCF. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

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Bulls look for second win of 2015 at UCF