The South Florida women’s basketball team kicked off its road schedule Friday night in Nashville, Tennessee, facing Belmont University at the Curb Event Center. The game, televised on ESPN+ at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, opened the 2026 Multi‑Conference Opening Weekend Showcase, a four‑team event featuring programs from the American Athletic, Atlantic 10, Ivy League and Missouri Valley conferences.
Recent Success for the Bulls
South Florida (1‑0) arrives in Nashville after an 80‑54 home victory over Furman on Monday. The Bulls led wire‑to‑wire, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor while holding the Paladins to just 33.3 percent. The 26‑point margin ranks as the fourth‑largest win in a Division I women’s basketball head‑coaching debut since the 2013‑14 season, and gave head coach Kristi Curry victories in four different conferences: the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and American Athletic.
Six Bulls scored in double figures in the opener. Stefanie Ingram led with 15 points and five assists, Hannah Kohn added 13, Kendall Puryear contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, and Kate Novik supplied 11 off the bench. The team also recorded steals from five different players, a feat last achieved by an American Athletic program when North Texas did it on Nov. 6, 2023.
Belmont’s Season Start
Belmont (0‑1) comes off a 63‑52 loss at Princeton in its season opener. The Bruins held a 44‑43 lead with about 7:30 left in the fourth quarter before Princeton pulled away. Freshman Kenley McCarn scored 15 points in her debut, and sophomore Chelby Jordan added 13 points and four steals.
Last season the Bruins posted a 20‑12 overall record and a 16‑4 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, finishing second and marking the program’s 11th straight 20‑win season. Head coach Bart Brooks enters his 10th year with a 218‑80 career record. Belmont was projected third in the MVC preseason poll and began the year ranked No. 20 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid‑Major Top 25, though it returns just 19.8 percent of its prior scoring after losing four starters.
Historical Matchup and Upcoming Games
This Friday marks only the second meeting between South Florida and Belmont, and the first on Belmont’s home court. The Bulls won the lone previous encounter 74‑55 on Dec. 19, 2007, at a neutral site in Cancun, Mexico.
South Florida will remain in Nashville Sunday to play Rhode Island, completing the weekend’s showcase. The event is part of a two‑year scheduling agreement among the American, Atlantic 10, Ivy League and Missouri Valley conferences that runs through the 2027‑28 season. The Nashville pod also includes Columbia, while Rice represents the American Athletic Conference at a separate site in Richmond, Virginia.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
