By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - The Bulls added a signature win to their NCAA tournament resume by finishing the job at No. 11/12 Louisville.

Senior Andrea Smith tied a career high with 35 points to help USF pull away in the second half of a 73-62 victory on Wednesday night. Louisville was 13-1 at the KFC Yum! Center before the Bulls secured their first win over a top 25 opponent this season.

"You have an opportunity to beat the No. 12 in the country and now we've got four games left. This one helps your RPI a little bit, doesn't it?" USF head coach Jose Fernandez said with a laugh.

USF (18-7, 7-5) got 13 points from Inga Orekhova while Akila McDonald's 10 rebounds helped the Bulls finish with a 43-34 edge on the glass. The Bulls' defense also stepped up with 16 turnovers and limited Louisville to 30 percent from the field.

Andrea Smith busted out of a recent shooting slump in a big way by going 11-for-16 from the field and making five 3-pointers. Smith made all eight of her free throw attempts.

"Andrea Smith came out and said, 'You know what, I've had two bad games. I have to step up and do something,' and she did," Fernandez said.

USF had a nine-point lead with 12:09 to play against Louisville in the teams' first meeting before the Cardinals rallied to a 78-75 victory less than a month ago at the Sun Dome. The Bulls bounced back Wednesday night by shooting 60 percent in the second half while Louisville (21-6, 9-4) never could get close for long.

A 3-pointer by Andrea Smith gave USF a 51-41 lead with 10:41 to play and the Bulls kept applying pressure from long range. Caitlin Rowe and Andrell Smith hit 3-pointers to give USF a 13-point advantage with less than eight minutes left the Bulls' lead didn't dip below five points the rest of the way.

"Our backs are against the wall and it was good to win one of these close ones. We've been in so many tough battles this year," Fernandez said.

The Bulls return to the Sun Dome 2 p.m. Saturday to host Syracuse. Purchase tickets HERE.