Fernandez Earns 250th Win as Bulls Rout Tulane

Women's Basketball USF

Fernandez Earns 250th Win as Bulls Rout Tulane

Team 1st 2nd  OT Final
Tulane 17 28 -   45
USF 33 31 - 64

 

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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 25, 2015 – USF women's basketball delivered head coach Jose Fernandez his 250th career victory in dominant fashion Sunday with a 64-45 rout of Tulane at the Sun Dome.

Fernandez, in his 15th season with USF, is now 250-212 and has led the Bulls to the postseason 10 times in the past 11 years. USF improved to 16-4 (7-1 in The American) and has won 10 of its past 11 games.

“I've seen this university grow a great deal in the last 15 years,” said the all-time winningest coach in USF basketball history. “It's been really special being able to build this program, to work with so many great people and coach such wonderful student-athletes.”

Courtney Williams poured in a game-high 24 points, her fifth straight game with at least 20, and posted her seventh double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. The junior guard from Folkston, Ga., added eight assists and moved into 11th place on USF's career scoring list with 1,230 points.

Junior forward Alisia Jenkins registered her 13th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Laura Ferreira (Portugal) notched her seventh double-digit scoring game with 13 points to help USF improve to 8-1 at home this season.

Aside from standout performances, USF turned in another solid effort on the defensive end. Tulane (15-4, 6-2) shot 31.6 percent (18-for-57) and became the 13th USF opponent to finish under 35 percent or less this season.  The Bulls also dominated on the glass by a 48-31 margin and finished with a 24-22 edge in points in the paint.

“During practice after UConn we really worked on our transition defense,” Jenkins said. “We had our scout team out there making sure we sprint the floor. We just transferred that into the game.”

USF put itself in a position for the season sweep of Tulane by jumping out to a 33-17 halftime lead. Tulane shot 26 percent from the field (6-for-23) and turned the ball over 11 times while the Bulls seized control.

Williams moved up the Bulls' career scoring list with 10 points after starting 5-for-11 from the field with five rebounds and five assists. Jenkins was on the way to another double-double with eight points and five rebounds which helped USF start with a 26-16 advantage on the boards.

Ferreira scored five points during a 7-0 run that extended the Bulls' lead to 19-9 with 9:36 remaining. Williams' layup made it 21-11 with less than 7 minutes left and USF's offense stayed hot down the stretch. The Bulls closed the half on a 7-0 run as Williams sent the crowd to its feet with a buzzer-beating jumper.

“I think our kids were really dialed in defensively. I think we put pressure on Tulane in transition and we got out and sprinted in lanes,” Fernandez said.

USF led by as many as 23 points in the second half while shooting 48 percent from the field (42 percent overall). Williams scored 14 points after the break and Ferreira got into double-digits with eight points and two 3-pointers.

Leslie Vorpahl was the lone Tulane player in double figures with 12 points and no other member of the Green Wave scored more than six points. Tulane was on a four-game winning streak and was averaging 66.2 points per game.

USF seeks a season sweep of Memphis in Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. (ESPN3) before heading back to the Sun Dome for a two-game homestand. The Bulls battle in-state rival UCF on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. and face off against Cincinnati on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

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Players Mentioned

Laura Ferreira

#20 Laura Ferreira

F
5' 11"
Sophomore
Alisia Jenkins

#24 Alisia Jenkins

F
6' 1"
Senior
Courtney Williams

#10 Courtney Williams

G
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Laura Ferreira

#20 Laura Ferreira

5' 11"
Sophomore
F
Alisia Jenkins

#24 Alisia Jenkins

6' 1"
Senior
F
Courtney Williams

#10 Courtney Williams

5' 8"
Senior
G