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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, DEC. 31, 2014 – USF wrapped up 2014 with a 72-39 rout of Memphis on New Year's Eve at the Sun Dome on Wednesday afternoon.

USF (11-3, 2-0) quickly seized control by starting the game on a 20-2 run in its fifth consecutive victory and set a season best for fewest points allowed. The Bulls have held nine teams to under 35 percent shooting from the floor this season.

“I was pleased with how we defended,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “That's something we take a lot of pride in and it definitely showed. It showed the first 20 minutes that's for sure.”

Sophomore center Katelyn Weber (Little Rock, Ark.) led the attack with a season-high 10 points while 11 different Bulls scored and 13 players saw action. Weber added seven rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 51-28 advantage on the boards.

Junior guard Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) scored nine points and senior guard Tamara Taylor (St. Petersburg) also added nine points in limited minutes. USF dominated in bench points by a 42-6 margin and got eight points apiece from sophomore forward Ariadna Pujol (Spain), redshirt junior guard Shalethia Stringfield (Jacksonville) and freshman forward Maria Jespersen (Denmark). Freshman forward Laura Ferreira (Portugal) added seven points as USF improved to 6-1 at the Sun Dome this season.

Alisia Jenkins' 26 minutes were the most any USF player logged in and the junior forward was productive with nine rebounds, four points, five blocks and four steals.

“We've never been this deep and play as many people as we can play,” Fernandez said.

Weber was already up to a season-high eight points by the time USF headed to the locker room with a 41-15 lead at halftime. The Bulls collected 10 assists in the opening period and made 15 of their first 26 shots (57.7 percent), while Memphis went 6-for-32 from the field (18.8 percent) in the opening period.

With an offense roaring right out of the gates, Weber's layup pumped USF's lead up to 20-2 less than 8 minutes in and the Bulls' defense kept the Tigers under double-digits until Ariel Hearn's jumper cut Memphis' deficit to 33-11 with 3:29 to go before halftime. The Bulls headed into the break with a 24-14 advantage on the boards as Jenkins led the way with seven rebounds.

Solid defense and rebounding helped USF hold an opponent to 20 points or fewer for the third time in the first half this season.

“We started our warmup with energy and we brought that energy into the game. We just had energy throughout the whole entire game,” Jenkins said.

USF's production didn't decrease despite starters heading to the bench early in the second half. Memphis (6-7, 0-2) was held to a season low point total despite taking 19 more shots than the Bulls. The Tigers finished 17-for-67 from the field (25.4 percent) and Mooriah Rowser was the team's lone player in double figures with 13 points.

USF continues American Athletic Conference play with two games on the road, starting 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Tulane in New Orleans. The Bulls take on Temple in Philadelphia on Sunday, Jan. 11 at noon before returning to the Sun Dome to host SMU on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE.