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ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Nov. 27, 2014) – On Thanksgiving night, head coach Jose Fernandez and the USF women's basketball team were thankful for health.
Healthy enough to be considered close to “full strength” for the first time this season, USF (4-1 overall) rolled past Oklahoma in the teams' Paradise Jam opener, leading by as much as 20 in the second half to top the Sooners 83-68. Both teams receiving votes in both major Top-25 polls, the Bulls shot .429 from the field, scored 21 second-chance points and added 17 points off of turnovers to cruise to their fourth win of the season Thursday night at the University of St. Thomas.
Playing just once in the same game this year, for a combined 21 minutes, USF got healthy minutes out of two of its key players in sophomore center Katelyn Weber and sophomore point guard Laura Marcos Canedo, as the duo combined to play 37 efficient minutes – minutes in which the Bulls outscored Oklahoma by 18 points.
The added weapons opened the floor for USF's big two, as juniors Alisia Jenkins and Courtney Williams scored at will for USF, recording a combined 48 points while shooting .515 from the field.
With the Bulls up four, less than six minutes remaining in the first half, Williams took control for the Bulls, knocking down four shots on four attempts, and hitting three free throws to close the half, sending USF to the locker room with a 38-29 lead. Williams scored 19 points in the first half alone, while Jenkins added four points and four rebounds before sitting 10 minutes with two fouls.
In the second half, Jenkins returned to the floor and took over. USF's post dominated down low, putting up 17 points on 5-6 shooting, and adding seven rebounds as the Bulls bounced the lead between 15 and 20 points for the remainder of the evening.
USF played 10 different players for at least 10 minutes in the win, with 11 different players scoring in the game. Williams led all scorers, making a 27-point game look easy, and adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jenkins also eclipsed the 20-point mark, scoring 21 and contributing 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
Off the bench, senior guard Tamara Taylor scored 11 points as USF found 27 points from seven different reserves.
The Bulls return to the gym tomorrow night, taking on a scrappy Illinois team which knocked off No. 9/10 Kentucky tonight, 77-71. The game will once again start at 8:15 p.m. Eastern, and will be broadcast over the radio on CBS 1010 AM, as well as streamed live for free on the Paradise Jam's home website.
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