Students gathered Wednesday to hear this year’s candidates voice their opinions and cam-paign platforms at the Student Body Presidential Debate in the Marshall Student Center Oval Theater.

As soon as the cheering from over 150 students died down, the debate got underway.

Questions ranged from pro-fessional — how will Student Government (SG) be branded and what will that brand mean? — to personal — why did each candidate choose USF?

Andy Rodriguez, the current Senate president, spoke on his

hope to improve safety mea-sures, including an improved SAFE team and more University Police officers.

His opponent, Sammy Hamed, who recently stepped down from his position of SG Chief Justice, emphasized his goal to enhance student growth by connecting them with jobs and internships.

Regarding his motivation for

running for president, Hamed cited a desire to open doors for others that were opened for him.

“I’ll be able to facilitate the relationships students need for their future,” he said.

To the same question, Rodriguez said he believes expe-rience, knowledge and patience is why he is the best qualified to

It was all smiles for USF coach Willie Taggart at his National Signing Day press conference, and for good reason.

Taggart and his staff secured the top recruiting class in the AAC for the second consecutive year — the 65th best class in the nation — according to 247Sports.com. Taggart reeled in 19 signees, in addition to one early enrolled ath-lete and a four-star transfer, which brought 21 total members to the 2015 class.

As far as such days go, USF’s signing went by calmly and without upset, with all 19 commits signing by the end.

“You always wait for that last fax to come in,” Taggart said. “You just want to get them all in. It’s all a fight until you hear that machine start running.”

The switch to the spread offense for next season made speed and depth a priority for USF, and Taggart felt he filled those voids.

“(The spread offense) didn’t affect the recruiting cycle, but we did address some needs that we had in order to spread it out from a depth standpoint,” Taggart said. “We did a great job in identifying those players that could help us.”

One of the key prospects on offense was cornerback-turned-receiver Chris Barr of Trinity Christian Academy, whose speed playmaking ability, Taggart said, will allow him to contribute early.

Staff changes usually spell doubt for recruits, but USF’s class didn’t waiver its commitment to the Bulls.

“When you have a staff change in the middle of recruiting, there’s always concern about losing some guys,” Taggart said. “But our (staff)

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The Index

Candidates detail platforms in debate 21 players added to 2015 Bulls

Benefit to raise donations, hope for pediatric cancer

Candidates, Sammy Hamed (left) and Andy Rodriguez, discussed why they should be the next student body president at the debate held Wednesday in the Marshall Student Center Oval Theater. ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Jacob HoagA S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R

By Grace HoyteS T A F F W R I T E R

Though there are many fun-draisers for a cure to pediatric cancer, what if cancer could be stopped before ever spreading in a child’s body?

A world-renowned illusion-ist, hors d’oeuvres, beer and a silent auction will be a part of the third annual A Magic Cure Benefit at The RITZ Ybor at 6 p.m. Saturday. Hosted by the Lawrence A. Martucci Benefit Corp, the benefit aids Tampa-based charity the Children’s Cancer Research Group through

1Voice Foundation. The president of Lawrence

A. Martucci Benefit Corp, Luana Martucci, has helped raise more than $20,000 over the last two years organizing the event.

This year’s goal is to raise $30,000, which will be donated to the research lab of Dr. Cameron Tebbi, the chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and the director of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Tampa General Hospital.

“Dr. Tebbi, I think, is one of the only laboratories in the United States that is actually researching for a prevention,” Martucci said.

“Most of the research labs look for treatments.”

Instead of searching for a cure to pediatric cancer, Tebbi has spent the last 40 years trying to stop leukemia before it starts.

A vaccine would prevent the cancer from ever taking root. This would avert not only death, but also the pain of treatment. A pain that Tebbi said he’s seen all too much of during his career.

One such case is 15-year-old Connor Hernandez, diagnosed at the age of 4. His mother, Tracey Hernandez, stays active in the cancer community.

“Connor has battled (leukemia) twice,” Tracey said. “He went into

remission after about three and a half years of treatment.”

Connor had been off treat-ment for over a year before the cancer came back. However, this time, the treatments would not be the same.

“Connor’s body was starting to shut down,” Tracey said. “He was going into organ failure because of the chemo.”

At that time, Tebbi and Tracey decided Connor would be bet-ter with quality of life rather than quantity. They moved him to a hospice, where all treatment stopped.

After two years, the hospice

By Allison LeslieC O R R E S P O N D E N T

n See BULLS on PAGE 3n See BENEFIT on PAGE 3

n See DEBATE on PAGE 2

sports............................................................8

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

serve the student body.“This university is the great-

est thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “I want nothing more than an opportunity to give back.”

The candidates were asked about a single aspect of their campaign that they would act on first.

“The main point is to get your degree, get a job and move on,” Hamed said, adding that he wanted to create an environment where students will want to “give back to USF.”

Hamed also emphasized, though SG isn’t perfect, it is an organization that aims to help students in all aspects of their lives.

When asked how he would like to see SG branded, Rodriguez pointed out that, as he has done within SG, he would like to increase communication between SG and the students. He spoke about a position he hopes to create within SG for a liaison between SG and student orga-nizations to increase awareness that SG is there to help students.

As Senate president, Rodriguez said he helped create a “more cohesive (legislative) branch” and hopes to do the same for the executive branch.

The issue of the candidates’ mutual involvement in Greek life and their potential for relat-ing to non-Greek students were addressed and both candidates agreed that they have presences within Greek life and out of it.

Hamed pointed out that, as of now, he has been Greek for only half of his collegiate career and is involved in many other clubs that have allowed him to get the “best of both worlds.”

“I know the concerns that stu-dents have here on campus,” he said. “I’ll be better to advocate for them.”

Rodriguez cited his non-Greek affiliations, such as being a USF ambassador, as to why he is as regular a Bull as any USF student.

“Being Greek doesn’t make me any different,” he said. “I’m a student, too.”

The evening took a turn for the sentimental when the can-didates were asked about their greatest inspiration.

Hamed cited his parents and how they overcame adversity to

provide for him as his inspiration to achieve his goals.

Rodriguez said his motivation comes from his mother and a desire to make her proud.

Several recent events in the media were addressed, including Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to cut taxes on textbooks for students.

Hamed reinforced his stance that he wants to do what is best for students by expressing approval of the idea.

“It’s about what’s best for the student body,” he said.

To huge applause from the audience, Rodriguez implied he obviously supported the cut of textbook taxes and called it a “ridiculous question.”

Another recent topic addressed the Title IX investigation sur-rounding USF. The candidates were expected to describe their plans for advocating and prevent-ing sexual assault at USF and the surrounding area.

Hamed proudly shared that he took the It’s On Us pledge. He said he expects to work with the Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention and the Counseling Center to pro-mote the message that students are responsible for the safety of themselves and everyone around them.

Taking a different approach to the issue, Rodriguez detailed his intention to increase the involve-ment of the university by increas-ing offered safety measures such as SAFE team and UP.

After a long series of questions, the candidates were allowed to give short closing speeches.

Rodriguez said his love of USF and his experience in the Senate make him the best candidate.

“The president is a student, a person,” he said. “I’m here to listen to you; I’m here to talk to you; I’m here to help you.”

Hamed re-emphasized his desire to give back, restating his message that his time in the judicial branch and his previ-ous experiences with businesses throughout the Tampa Bay area make him the best candidate for president.

On Feb. 9, there will be a vice presidential debate between Hamed’s running mate, Alexis Sacasas, and Rodriguez’s run-ning mate, Michael Malanga.

Voting starts the morning of Feb. 16. Students can vote online at sg.usf.edu/vote or at polling stations across campus.

A video of the debate can be found at USFOracle.com.

DEBATE Continued from PAGE 1

T H U R S DAY, F E B RUA RY 5 , 2 0 1 5 ● T H E O R AC L E 3

came in and hit the ground running.”The only quarterback in this

year’s class was two-star Brett Kean, who before transferring to St. Edward High School in Ohio, spent his first three years at University High School in Ft. Lauderdale — junior Mike White’s alma mater.

“He’s a winner,” Taggart said. “He’s a very confident kid that’s poised and can make guys miss and extend some plays. Those are the qualities you look for at the posi-tion and he’s a great leader as well.”

Taggart was able to make his presence known in the Tampa Bay area, with Plant receiver Jordan Reed (three-star), Tarpon Springs tight end Mitchell Wilcox (three-star), Sickles corner back Nate Ferguson (three-star) and Clearwater Catholic offensive lineman Billy Atterbury (three-star) all coming from local schools, according to 247Sports.com.

“You work so hard and put in so much work and you’re gone from your family, doing so much to keep these kids on board,” Taggart said. “It’s refreshing to see that all the hard work you put in is paying off.”

USF starts morning team condi-tioning Monday with the first spring practice Feb. 23.

BULLSContinued from PAGE 1

called Tracey and said Connor was healthy enough to leave. He is now considered to be in remis-sion.

“Even Dr. Tebbi says that this should not be happening,” Tracey said. “He’s a miracle boy.”

Today Connor is left with radi-ation burns on his face from the radiation treatments that entered through his head.

“His skin is extremely dry on his face and his head,” Tracey said. “I was hoping it would go away, but it has not. It itches him, so he’ll scratch, and sometimes he’ll scratch to the point that he draws blood.”

Besides the radiation burns, Connor also experienced hair loss and weight gain. Chemotherapy alters a child’s metabolism and the treatment causes a patient to be put on special diets to manage weight while fighting cancer.

But besides the painful side effects from the treatments, Connor is going on his fifth anni-versary of remission.

Connor’s story is just one of thousands of different cancer sto-ries families around the world have to share.

For instance, Martucci’s child-hood cancer story has a different ending. Martucci’s younger broth-er, Lawrence, was diagnosed at 4 years old with a tumor on his spinal cord.

“I remember spending his fourth birthday at All Children’s Hospital,” Martucci said.

The doctors gave Lawrence only a 30 percent chance of living with the type of cancer he had and, on his last day of chemo, he was treated by Tebbi.

“I remember being in the hos-pital room, (Tebbi) coming in,” Martucci said. “I was by myself with my brother at the time, and he just told me to tell my parents that my brother was cancer-free and that there were no more can-cer cells in his body.

“It’s very heartbreaking when you think you’ve beaten some-thing and then it turns around and the same treatment that made him cancer-free is what killed him.”

That is why families said they support Tebbi’s quest for a vac-cine. So that others can avoid the pain of not knowing whether their child will live, even after going through excruciating treat-ment.

“The treatment itself feels like a death sentence,” Martucci said.

While treatment kills the can-cer protein, it also leaves a child’s body in rough condition.

“Everybody’s all about better treatments, which we do need, but can you imagine what these children go through with the treatments?” Hernandez said. “To be able to be given a vaccine and not have to worry about it and not have to go through the treatment at all, that is a dream.”

Not only would a vaccine change that child’s life, it would change the family’s life as well. When Connor was diagnosed, his daily routine was waking up early in the morning to spend his entire day at the hospital for treatment.

Though his two older broth-ers spent time with him at the hospital, Connor’s days were not spent playing on playgrounds or pretending to be a pirate on the monkey bars. Connor spent them in a hospital room watching mov-ies.

A Magic Cure Benefit is impor-tant to Tebbi’s work, he said, in finding the anticipated vaccine. The benefit gives 100 percent of all donated money to Tebbi’s research.

Right now, Tebbi is focusing on a certain protein found in leuke-mia and is using Connor’s blood to help with his studies.

The money donated and raised through 1Voice Foundation and Lawrence A. Martucci Benefit Corp. goes toward lab equipment and tests that will need to be run after finding a possible vaccine. Right now, all tests are performed in test tubes.

“The next step is doing animal studies and the following step to that is testing on people,” Tebbi said.

Even though the government subsidizes cancer research, it is still important for foundations to support the cause. According to the National Cancer Institute, the federal government gives 96 per-cent of its funds to adult cancer research, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Only four percent goes to child-hood cancer.

“We have to rely on money that comes out of pocket to help our research,” Tebbi said.

Tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for children under 10. There will also be a ticket dis-count for USF students. More information can be found at lawrenceamartucci.com/Home.

BENEFITContinued from PAGE 1

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doing and began cleaning up by himself.

“Our kids saw that and what an incredible leader he was for our team,” Turner said. “It didn’t take long. The teachers love him … everybody on the team loves him. He was an immediate leader. The fact he’s going to USF is just incredible.”

* * *Ferguson’s desire to play for

USF started with a vision of play-ing with another blossoming Bull, junior-to-be Nate Godwin.

The two were teammates in high school at Freedom and devel-oped a strong bond over the past few years.

“He’s like a brother to me, a mentor,” Ferguson said. “My freshman year, when I came (into Freedom), everybody called me ‘Little Nate.’ It just stuck. And ever since then, that first day of summer practice, we’ve just been tight.”

Ferguson began to fall in love with the university soon after making his visits and getting a close-up of the team’s practices.

So, when the offer to play for USF from coach Willie Taggart finally came Monday, Ferguson, who had been verbally pledged to Eastern Michigan, didn’t hesitate at the opportunity.

“He told me the offer was com-ing from the big dog,” Ferguson

said with a smile. “I told him right away, as soon as he offered, that I was committed. That was my choice.”

His chance to play for USF also meant an opportunity to con-tinue playing for his relatives and friends in Tampa.

Seeking advice on how to han-dle it, Ferguson reached out to a familiar name: USF’s all-time lead-ing receiver, Andre Davis.

“I texted him and told him that I committed,” Ferguson said. “He told me he was proud of me and now that it was my turn, since he’s leaving, to fill his shoes.

“They’re going to be some big shoes to fill, but I think I can do it.”

* * *Ferguson doesn’t expect to be

placed atop the depth chart right away, but he plans on working to get there.

“There’s a lot of (defensive backs),” he said. “But the best are going to play. If I just work hard and go in there humble, I don’t see why not.”

Turner said it’s that attitude that will carry Ferguson.

“He won’t be intimidated,” Turner said. “He’s already had to do things in his life that they haven’t had to do yet, because they have their parents at home and they get everything they’ve wanted. But he’s had to fight for everything he’s got.

“To me, football is the easiest part for him.”

JOURNEYContinued from PAGE 8

Junior National Team.Senior pitcher Sam Greiner,

who was with the team during its World Series run, enters her last season with USF, but to her, this team has something special about them.

“Out of the past four years, I think this team has the best team chemistry,” Greiner said. “The girls are fitting right in and they know their roles. The expectation this year is to go very far.”

Much the same as last sea-son, the Bulls will rely on pitching as their strength. Last season, Nevins started 32 games, leading the AAC in wins (29), ERA (1.35), shut-outs (9), strikeouts (299) and opponents’ batting average (.144).

This season, USF has no pitcher that has started more than 24 games in a single

season, but that doesn’t mean Eriksen will shy away from putting them in the rotation during crunch time.

“I have no fear in putting people in tough situations, ever,” Eriksen said. “If they’re (at USF), I thought they could play and they have proven they could play. I trust every one of them, one through 24.”

For the Bulls, experience doesn’t directly correlate to skill level. Eriksen is confident in his youth and said the team doesn’t need just one ace in the lineup.

“I think we have four aces,” Eriksen said. “Against certain teams, (Erica Nunn) will be the ace. Against another, (Greiner) will be the ace. My job is to make sure the matchups are there.”

Speed will also be an asset to this year’s Bulls in an offense that Eriksen wants to resemble the Oregon Ducks Football team.

“We have some girls that can run; if you come watch

us practice, it’s like a track meet,” Eriksen said. “We run our offense like Oregon runs their offense in football; it’s going to be nonstop. Don’t expect to take a break.”

USF won’t be able to take much of a break this season. The Bulls’ season includes 13 games against NCAA tourna-ment teams from 2014, includ-ing the defending National Champion UF on Sunday.

USF kicks off the 2015 sea-son tonight at the USF Softball Stadium against Hampton. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

The Bulls have experienced the thrill of a World Series run, and this year, the Bulls don’t want their offseason to start any sooner than May 28.

“We don’t have goals, we have dreams. And I think everyone’s dream in that lock-er room is to get back to Oklahoma City,” Eriksen said. “Once you taste it, and these guys tasted it in (Greiner’s) freshman year, you want to get back.”

even with them on the boards.”Part of that success was,

in part, due to freshman cen-ter Rueben Guerrero, who pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds and four blocks in the loss.

“(Guerrero’s development) has been huge,” Antigua said. “He’s been getting better every game and we’re excited about his development and his growth. He goes out tonight against one of the top rebound-ers in the conference and pulls down 14 rebounds. He had six offensive, which was huge because we needed to find extra possessions.”

Shots weren’t falling for the Bulls, as they shot 34.5 percent from the field. In the first half, the Bulls held the Owls under 30 percent, but allowed them

to make 41.9 percent of their shots in the second.

Allen took over in the first half, scoring 10 points, but was slowed in the second. Playing every minute of the game, the senior guard accounted for 16 points and three assists with redshirt junior Anthony Collins in foul trouble.

“(In the first half), we were executing, playing defense, closing out possessions with a rebound, you know, doing the little things,” Allen said. “When we did the little things, we kept building the lead, and once we stopped doing them, we saw the decline.”

Not to be forgotten in the loss, Collins surpassed Chucky Atkins for the third-most assists in school history with 520.

The Bulls will travel to play Cincinnati on Saturday at 8 p.m. in hopes of ending this losing streak and securing only their second conference win.

STREAKContinued from PAGE 8

START Continued from PAGE 8

Sam Greiner looks to help anchor USF’s pitching staff after the departure of former pitcher Sara Nevins. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

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

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BY PHONE

Getting vaccinated is everyone’s problem

Though disease prevention seems like something the U.S. is caught up on, the decision to vaccinate has become increas-ingly more like taking one for the team.

A recent, highly publicized measles outbreak originating from Disneyland in California has resulted in just over 100 cases of the easily prevented disease. The outbreak has been potentially linked to a low percentage of vac-cination in the state, with statistics from the California Department of Public Health reporting a large number of non-vaccinators in Orange County, where the park is located. CNN reported cases of measles as far east as New York and Pennsylvania.

An outbreak of a highly con-tagious and preventable disease such as measles is a perfect plat-form upon which 2016 presiden-tial hopefuls and other promi-nent political figures can develop their agendas. Earlier this week, President Barack Obama even advised parents to vaccinate their children, as reported by NBC News. Other major politicians have been using the measles out-

break as a way to represent their overall worldview.

For instance, it shouldn’t be surprising that libertarian politico Sen. Rand Paul reacted by appeal-ing to freedom of choice and said that vaccines should be optional because of their theoretical side effects, including “profound men-tal disorders” — a stance he has since tried to clear up, as reported by CNBC.

Though well-intentioned, Paul’s opinion assumes that individual decisions do not have an impact on society.

This obviously isn’t true, as every action an individual makes impacts the state of society. It is easy to say that if an individual believes the risk of measles out-weighs the risk of side effects from the vaccine, then this indi-vidual can receive it while others do not. However, doing so will still allow one to be insulated from the disease while others contract it based on their own free will.

Reality is not that simple. Contrary to Paul’s beliefs, vaccina-tion promotion belongs in politi-cal discourse precisely because health is a community effort like other parts of the public domain, such as education, infrastructure and security.

If only individuals were affect-ed by disease, it would make

perfect sense for politicians and the world of Washington to leave this aspect of our private lives untouched. Yet, as it stands, vacci-nation is not an individual choice — it affects everyone.

There are many who cannot receive vaccines, or have a condi-tion that causes them to wait, and these are usually groups who are already the most vulnerable.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly discourage pregnant or nursing women and people with certain allergies from getting the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, while it advises people with a weakened immune sys-tem, including those with HIV or AIDS, and those diagnosed with cancer, to wait before receiving the vaccine. These people do not have the free choice that other members of society do.

This is where policy can step in. One of the main roles of gov-ernment should be, at the very least, to protect those who do not have the strength or means to pro-tect themselves. In this case, pub-lic policy not only has the right, but the responsibility to mandate responsible vaccination.

Chelsea Mulligan is a freshman majoring in international studies.

C O L U M N I S T

Chelsea Mulligan

What you said With the new student body election approaching, editors

Isabelle Cavazos and Sebastian Contento asked students what issues they think candidates should discuss during

the campaign.

“Based on what I’ve heard from friends who have a meal plan and live on campus, there should be an improvement in food options and variability.”

— Victor Perez, a sophomore majoring in

biomedical science

“I would like it if there was an effort to improve parking on campus,

making it easier to find parking spots.”

— Javen Threatt, a junior majoring in

biomedical science

“Athletic attendance, for both football and other

sports. Any sort of incentive program

would help.”

— Christian Schultze, a junior majoring in mass communications and

women’s studies

“I would like them to focus on maximizing the college

experience, such as student involvement

around campus.”

— Shanaika Grandoit, a sophomore majoring in

psychology

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Football

Commit’s journey to USF unlike most

Once the pageantry of officially signing his scholarship to USF waned Wednesday afternoon, Nate Ferguson raced down the steps of Sickles High’s auditorium stage and made his way through the crowd.

Weaving his way through a few rows of green plastic seats in a brisk stride, Ferguson didn’t stop until he reached the chair of the woman he owes most of his life to – his grandmother, Betty Ferguson.

Bedecked in a tan, long-sleeved dress shirt and a new Bulls snapback cap, Ferguson sat down beside her, put his right arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

Then, a lifetime of emotions came pouring out.

“It means everything,” Ferguson said, fighting back tears. “It just means everything.”

* * *Through the eyes of Sickles foot-

ball coach Brian Turner, Ferguson is the model of what every young

athlete should strive to be.“You learn a lot about yourself,”

Turner said. “He’s a man.”Aside from his three-star acco-

lades from recruiting services and hard-hitting abilities as a defensive back on the gridiron, Ferguson has displayed a knack for his maturity off of it.

And it starts with his journey.At the age of 6, Ferguson lost

his mother to cancer. He said his father has dealt with problems with alcohol and substance abuse and has been in and out of inten-sive care.

Betty provided the majority of his guidance and upbringing.

“She is like my second moth-er,” Ferguson said. “She’s been through a lot. She’s taken care of me with the little that she’s got and she made it work.

“Without her, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. She raised some of the strongest men.”

That strength instilled by Betty quickly caught the attention of Turner, who had known the fam-ily after coaching Ferguson’s uncle years earlier.

Ferguson, who previously

attended Freedom and Gaither before coming to Sickles in August, was ineligible for the first five games last season because of county transfer rules.

But that didn’t stop him from making an immediate impact on

his teammates.During Sickles’ preseason

game, Ferguson noticed an abun-dance of trash scattered all around the team’s sideline. Without hesi-tating, he stopped what he was

New Bull Nate Ferguson flipped his commitment from Eastern Michigan to USF upon receiving an offer Monday. ORACLE PHOTO/JEFF ODOM

By Jeff OdomS T A F F W R I T E R

Softball

Eriksen sees 2015 as fresh start

Questions surround USF softball coach Ken Eriksen and the USF softball team heading into the 2015 season.

After losing the heart of the lineup from last season, Eriksen looks to prove the program’s success wasn’t just riding on the arm of Sara Nevins and the bat of Kourtney Salvarola.

“As old as I am, and as long as I’ve been around, it’s not a new era, it’s just another part of the cycle that goes on,” Eriksen said at the team’s media day last week. “You’ve got an opportunity to show the people that have played softball in our community and nationwide that it wasn’t about just four or five players.”

USF has had much success over the last few seasons, including the program’s first-ever Women’s College World Series appearance in 2012, but Eriksen will now have to find a new lineup to generate that same success.

“I don’t think it will be unre-alistic to show up to the ball-park and see three freshmen in the starting lineup, maybe four; that’s how good this recruiting class is,” Eriksen said. “They’ve proven they can play against some of the best pitching in the country in scrimmages.”

USF’s roster features eight new players, including seven freshmen. Among these fresh-men, two attended the USA Softball Junior National Team Selection Camp, with one, Astin Donovan, having been named an alternate for the

By Jacob HoagA S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R

Men’s Basketball

Owls push Bulls’ losing streak to eight

Bo Zeigler threw down an authoritative alley-oop dunk off Corey Allen Jr.’s lob to bring USF within eight with 5:54 to play.

Like most games so far for the Bulls (7-16, 1-9) in 2015, Temple was able to pull away, closing the game out on a 9-2 run to give the Owls (16-7, 7-3) a 61-48 victory Wednesday in the Sun Dome, handing the Bulls their eighth consecutive loss.

“We were still there in the second half, within a few pos-sessions; just hit a lull for about six minutes where we

just couldn’t get a basket,” USF coach Orlando Antigua said. “Some of it had to do with their defense, some of it had to do with us getting opportunities and missing some.”

USF held an eight-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the first half, but allowed Temple to go on a 10-3 run to end the half, cutting the lead to just one.

“One thing I think we wanted to take away that they beat us with in the first game was the offensive rebounds,” Antigua said. “We gave them 18 offen-sive rebounds that first game and for what we did today, holding them to 13 and being

Corey Allen Jr. scored 10 points in the first half, but was only able to finish with six in the second half as USF fell to Temple. ORACLE PHOTO/SEBASTIAN CONTENTO

By Jacob HoagA S S T . S P O R T S E D I T O R

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