TAMPA, Fla. (AP) (December 7, 2005) - Jessica Dickson (Ocala, Fla.) scored a season-high 35 points to lead USF (6-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) to a 79-77 overtime victory against No. 11/13 DePaul on Wednesday night in the BIG EAST opener for both teams. The Blue Demons are the highest ranked team that USF has ever defeated.
Dickson, who entered the game as the nation's leading scorer averaging 24.2 points, went 5-of-6 from the free throw line during the final 30 seconds of overtime. She has scored 30 or more points in three of the last four games.
Sharon Cambridge (Miami, Fla.) and Ezria Parsons (Bushnell, Fla.) each had 12 points for USF (6-1).
Jenna Rubino had 19 points and Khara Smith added 17 points and seven rebounds for DePaul (7-1, 0-1 BIG EAST). Smith, who started play averaging 17.6 points and 11.6 rebounds, fouled out with the Blue Demons trailing 60-58 with 4:52 left in the second half.
DePaul was looking to open the season with eight straight wins for the second time in three years and third time overall.
Smith has 10 points as DePaul took a 33-32 halftime lead. Dickson scored 12 points to help USF rebound from a 17-8 deficit 9 minutes into the game.
Neither team scored during the final minute of regulation and they headed into overtime tied at 64.
“This is a big win for us,” said USF's head women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez. “We went out and scheduled North Carolina, LSU, Michigan State, and a lot of people thought I was crazy, but we want to contend against the Top 25 teams from around the country. For the kids to come out and play the type of game that they played tonight was tremendous.”
“We went up to North Carolina and held a pretty good basketball club to 34 points in the first half, we just didn't shoot the ball well,” said Fernandez. “We were 3-for-14 from the free throw line in the first half, and for them to bounce back and stay focused here at home ? playing just six kids tonight ? they found a way to win with a lot of heart and a lot of character.”
The Bulls will return to the Sun Dome on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. when they face No. 13/15 Michigan State. The Spartans lost in last year's National Championship game to Baylor.
