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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, DEC. 3, 2014 – USF added another quality win to its NCAA tournament resume by overpowering Stetson, 78-62, before a crowd of 1,475 at the Sun Dome on Wednesday night.

The Bulls (6-2) are receiving votes in both major polls and strengthened their bid to get back into the top 25 after racking up a season-high 11 3-pointers. USF made six 3-pointers in the second half and four after Stetson (5-2) took a 48-47 lead.

“When you shoot a high number like that I think you're making the extra pass,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “We had 17 assists tonight and we found people on the back side and made the extra pass. A lot of those threes that we took were high percentage threes.”

Tamara Taylor led the USF charge with a season-high 18 points and the senior guard from St. Petersburg tied her career high with four 3-pointers.

“It was just staying aggressive and being confident in my shot,” Taylor said. “We needed me to knock them down I just knocked them down.”

Star junior guard Courtney Williams is just 14 points away from reaching 1,000 after scoring all of her 17 points in the second half. Junior forward Alisia Jenkins had a double-double by halftime and finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds to stay near the top of the category nationwide with six.

Fernandez credited Stetson for its ability to play tough, especially after the Bulls started with an 11-point advantage in the first half.

The lead changed hands twice in the first 4 minutes before the Bulls built an 18-8 lead from long range. Shalethia Stringfield's 3-pointer swung the lead back into USF's favor early on and the Bulls knocked down three more threes during the stretch as Taylor connected once and Maria Jesperson connected twice. USF came in averaging 5.1 3-pointers per game and had five by the break.

The Bulls headed into halftime with a 40-29 lead after ruling the boards by a 24-14 margin. Jenkins already had a double-double going into the break with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Statesboro, Ga., native's four free throws helped USF go 11-for-14 from the charity stripe in the first half.

“A lot of the stuff that she does is all about effort and energy. She plays hard and she sprints,” Fernandez said.

Stetson stormed back at the start of the second half, hitting five of its first eight shots, and Myeisha Hall's 3-pointer tied things up at 42-42 less than 4 minutes into the action. Four lead changes followed and USF regained momentum with five straight points from Taylor that put the Bulls ahead, 52-48, with 12 minutes remaining.

Taylor has registered four double-digit scoring games this season and her third 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 64-55 advantage with 6:11 to play.

Williams, the American Player of the Week, kept her double-digit scoring streak alive by scoring all her points in the second half. The Folkston, Ga., native's three-point play with 3:37 remaining brought USF's lead back up to 11 and the Bulls stayed in control the rest of the way. Taylor delivered the dagger by knocking down her fourth 3-pointer and Stringfield's second 3-pointer pumped USF's lead up to 76-57 with 2:15 remaining.

Stetson finished with 10 3-pointers of its own and got a game-high 22 points from Jama Sharp. The Bulls extended their winning streak to 10 against the Hatters after defeating them in the third round of the WNIT last season.

“We've played seven of these first eight games against NCAA or WNIT teams. Not many people have done that,” Fernandez said.

The Bulls continue their four-game home stand 2 p.m. Sunday against St. John's, which also received votes in both major top 25 polls this week. Purchase tickets for USF's showdown with the 6-0 Red Storm HERE.