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If you weren't there ...
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- The University of South Florida women's basketball team got double-digit scoring efforts from KaNeisha Saunders (16), Jessica Lawson (15) and Sequoyah Griffin (12) in a 61-50 victory over Washington.
- USF won its fifth straight game on the season and improved to 6-2 overall, while dropping the Huskies to 2-4 on the year.
- Melissa Dalembert posted nine points, tied her career high with 12 rebounds and set a career high with five steals.
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Washington
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24 |
26 |
-- |
50 |
| USF |
30 |
31 |
-- |
61 |
| Scoring Leaders |
| Player |
FG-A
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3FG-A
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FT-A
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TP
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| Washington - Williams |
5-7 |
0-0 |
2-4 |
12 |
| USF - Saunders |
3-6 |
0-1 |
10-14 |
16 |
| Rebounding Leaders |
| Player |
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| Washington - Rogers |
2 |
4 |
6 |
| USF - Dalembert |
5 |
7 |
12 |
| Misc. Leaders |
| Player |
Steals
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Assists
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Blocks
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| Washington - Mosiman |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| USF - Lawson |
2 |
0 |
1 |
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TAMPA - The University of South Florida women's basketball team finally had an opportunity to take one quick look back at the 2009 Women National Invitation Tournament tonight as it raised its championship banner. USF had previously postponed the pregame ceremony, scheduled for the season opener on Nov. 13, due to head coach Jose Fernandez being hospitalized.
Well, tonight the Bulls had the same outcome it did at the conclusion of the WNIT title game, on April 4 against Kansas, and it was a pretty good bet that Fernandez was feeling a lot better after USF pulled off a solid 61-50 win over Washington at the Sun Dome.
KaNeisha Saunders led three players in double figures for the Bulls with a game-high 16 points while Jessica Lawson and Sequoyah Griffin added 15 and 12 points respectively.
Melissa Dalembert chipped in with nine points along with career highs in rebounds with 12 and steals with five.
USF (6-2), who is in the midst of a five-game winning streak, had one of its best defensive efforts of the season in the first half holding Washington (2-4) to just 24 points and 31 percent (9-29) shooting in the first 20 minutes.
The Bulls would take its six-point halftime lead and push it to what was, at that point, a game-high nine points when Allyson Speed hit both ends of a two shot free throw to make the score 35-26 just under a minute-and-a-half into the second stanza.
The Huskies, however, would put together their own 11-2 run from the 18:27 mark to the 14:06 mark of the second half to tie the game at 37-all on a lay-up by Mollie Williams.
After USF recovered and got the lead back to seven, 44-37 with 11:43 left, Washington would once again get back into the contest when Williams tied the game hitting two free throws with 6:19 left.
The Huskies would then take its final two leads of the game - each one-point advantages - with 5:28 left and 3:53 left in the contest.
After Regina Roberts scored on a lay-up at the 3:53 mark to make the score 50-49 Washington, the Bulls would proceed to score the final 12 points of the game en route to the victory, spearheaded by Saunders connecting on 8-10 from the free throw line down the stretch.
On the night, USF would end up shooting 38.1 percent (16-42) from the field while forcing the Huskies into 27 turnovers.
Williams and Rogers led Washington with 12 and 11 points respectively in the loss.
The Bulls held the Huskies' leading scorer, Sami Whitcomb, to two points on 0-6 shooting from the field, including 0-3 from behind the three-point arc. Whitcomb came into the game with USF averaging 16.6 points per contest.
The Bulls will now take a week off for final exams before getting back to work on Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m. against in-state foe Jacksonville.
