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ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Nov. 28, 2014) – The USF women's basketball team added another page to its long Top 25 resume Friday night, knocking off Illinois just one night after the Illini upset No. 9/10 Kentucky.

The Bulls (5-1 overall) put together an encore performance Friday from their 83-68 Thanksgiving Day win over Oklahoma, outscoring previously-unbeaten Illinois (5-1) 23-12 in the final seven minutes to take home a 67-61 win, and improving to 2-0 in the Paradise Jam tournament at the University of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Surviving 19 first-half turnovers, USF shot .472 from the floor, hitting 55 percent of its shots in the first half, with a 10-point, four-rebound effort from junior forward Alisia Jenkins. Fellow junior Courtney Williams played just seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble however, and Illinois took advantage, scoring 19 points off turnovers to grab a 33-28 lead at the half.

Fresh out of halftime, Williams helped lead the charge as the Bulls climbed back into the game in the second half. The guard scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half alone, including a layup with 12 minutes remaining to tie the game for the first time since the three-minute mark in the first half, at 41.

The Illini would extend their lead back to five at 49-44 with 7:20 remaining, but the final seven minutes belonged to USF. Junior point guard Shalethia Stringfield hit freshman Laura Ferreira in transition for a big game-tying three-pointer from the corner, setting off a string of five lead changes in three minutes, until USF held a slim 58-56 lead with two minutes to go.

With a chance to tie, Illinois worked the ball around the perimeter, but senior guard Tamara Taylor jumped a passing lane, scooping the ball up for USF and taking it the length of the floor to put USF up by two possessions, for good. Hitting two big three-pointers already in the second half, it was Taylor's eight point of the half and 11th of the game. The Bulls scored nine of the final 14 points, sealing the win.

USF out-rebounded Illinois 45-33 and out-blocked the Illini 5-1, getting big contributions from Williams and Jenkins. Jenkins' 10 rebounds and two blocks paired with her team-high 21 points as she finished her second consecutive 20-point game, and fifth double-double of the season. Williams added 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks to go with three assists. Stringfield led USF in assists with five, becoming the first Bull with five assists in a game this season.

The Bulls face No. 9/10 Kentucky Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET, with a chance to sweep the Paradise Jam. The game will be broadcast over the radio on CBS 1010 AM, as well as streamed live for free on the Paradise Jam's home website.