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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - The Bulls started on a 12-0 run and never looked
back in their 11th consecutive victory over Seton Hall on Saturday
night.
Inga Orekhova scored 22 points while freshman Courtney
Williams and Akila McDonald each posted double-doubles in a 67-56 victory
before a crowd of 1,226 at the Sun Dome.
Williams, a guard, recorded her first career double-double
with 14 points and 11 rebounds. McDonald finished with 14 points and 11
rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 34-18 edge in points in the paint.
USF (17-7, 6-5) quickly established its presence inside by
scoring 10 points in the paint during a game-opening 12-0 run. The Bulls had a
22-6 edge in the paint on the way to a 30-15 lead at the break.
"Coach said before the game started that it needed to be an
up-tempo game," McDonald said. "We knew we just had to keep up the pace in
order to get the win."
Seton Hall (8-17, 3-9) started the game 1-for-22 from the
field and didn't get to double digits until Terry Green made a 3-pointer with
3:11 to play in the half. The Pirates went 4-for-27 overall in the opening period
and committed 12 turnovers.
"I thought we came out of the gate and we defended," head
coach Jose Fernandez said.
The Bulls opened the second half with two straight
3-pointers from Orekhova and the junior's third of the period gave USF a 40-15
lead. The Bulls led by as many as 29 points after the break.
Brittany Morris got Seton Hall back into the game with a
3-pointer that dropped the Pirates' deficit to 59-47 with 6:10 remaining. Morris
got up to 23 points with a jumper that cut USF's lead to 64-56 with 1:43
remaining as Seton Hall looked like a much different team in the second half.
"We cannot down the stretch play the way we played those
final seven or eight minutes. It was disappointing how we defended down the
stretch," Fernandez said.
Orekhova made a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left and
USF held on to stay unbeaten against Seton Hall since it joined the Big East.
"It's good to get back over .500 in conference play,"
Williams said.
USF got some special inspiration before the game when former
Bulls standout Jessica Dickson was honored at midcourt during a banner raising
ceremony. Dickson played for USF from 2003-07 and finished her career as the
program's all-time leading scorer while helping the Bulls make their first NCAA
tournament appearance. Dickson is a USF Athletics Hall of Fame member and now
gets to look up at a banner displaying her name and retired No. 25 each time
she visits the Sun Dome.
"Jessica means a lot to me. Jessica Dickson didn't have bad
nights and she started every game she ever played," Fernandez said. "She was a
heck of a player and has done very well for herself playing overseas."
USF's players showed their appreciation during pregame
warm-ups when they wore T-shirts with Dickson's No. 25 on the front and her name
on the back.
"It's big to have your jersey in the gym. She averaged 16
her whole career. That's just effort to me, and hard work," McDonald said.
USF gets a rematch with Louisville 7 p.m. Wednesday in
Kentucky before returning to the Sun Dome to host Syracuse at 2 p.m. on
Saturday, Feb. 23.
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