TAMPA, Nov. 13, 2015 – Under the guidance of head coach Jose Fernandez, the USF women's basketball team has had great success in season openers, and Friday night's 74-52 win over visiting Jacksonville University was no different. Senior guard Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) turned in a stellar outing, with 34 points, one point shy of her career high, and a career high 18 rebounds, for her first double-double performance of the season.
Freshman Kitijia Laksa (Riga, Latvia) had a great debut in Green and Gold, recording 15 points one block and one assist. Senior Alisia Jenkins (Statesboro, Ga.) notched eight points in three quarters, taking her career total to 1,001. The forward is now the 22nd member of the 1,000-point club. Jenkins also added seven rebounds. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) tallied six points while Shaleth Stringfield (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) combined for nine points and 10 rebounds. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) led the Bulls with four assists and added one steal. Katelyn Webber (Little Rock, Ark.) collected a new career high six blocks, along with three rebounds and two assists.
The Bulls entered the contest as Goliath and the first six minutes reflected the mismatch. With a perfect record against the Dolphins, USF jumped to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter, and shot over 50 percent from the floor, 40 from behind the arc in the first 10 minutes. However, the Jacksonville draught ended in the sixth minute, and Sherranda Reddick single handedly brought the Dolphins within eight, scoring in three consecutive possessions in an 8-2 JU run.
“I give Jacksonville a lot of credit today,” said Fernandez. “We jumped on them early in the first five minutes. I thought our kids were really excited and we gave up two back-to-back threes and a drive and all of a sudden it's 17-8.”
While the Bulls had a handle on the first two quarters, entering the break with a 41-25 advantage, USF faltered in the third quarter, and gave the Dolphins a chance to sneak back in. Jacksonville outscored the Bulls 18-12 in the third stanza, thanks to seven second-chance points. JU took advantage of the Bulls aggressive defense, and went 7-for-12 from the charity stripe. The stall in offense slimmed the USF lead to 53-43 at the end of the third.
“The most disappointing thing is the adjustment to the way this game is officiated. It's very uncharacteristic for us to commit 23 fouls. We can't afford for Ferreira and Jenkins to get in foul trouble early.”
In the fourth quarter, Williams ended a 5:39 scoreless skid and moments later, freshman Kitija Laksa rejuvenated the Bulls, scoring five points in back-to-back possessions and stretched USF's lead to 17. Back in cruise control, the Bulls sent the Dolphins back to Jacksonville 74-52.
“A lot of coaches get excited for a 20+ win, but for where we are headed, we can't defend how we defended today. I thought Jacksonville had a lot to do with that, I thought their kids played with a lot of passion, with a lot of energy. They weren't scared coming in here. I told our kids, we're going to get everybody's best punch. We can't respond by fouling and turning the ball over.”
The Bulls return to action Sunday, Nov. 15 for the second round of the preseason WNIT Tournament. USF will host Drexel at 4 p.m. Drexel defeated Dartmouth in the first round 69-53 in Philadelphia.
Jose Fernandez's 2015 women's basketball team returns all five starters, including All-American Candidate Courtney Williams, from a team that posted a 27-8 (15-3 American) record in 2014-15 and finished the season in the top 25 rankings. The squad finished second behind eventual NCAA champion UConn in the American Athletic Conference and made an exciting NCAA Tournament run that saw USF top LSU in front of 5,560 fans in the Sun Dome in the NCAA regional round.
In 2015-16, the Bulls will be hosting their toughest schedule yet, including the opening rounds of the Preseason WNIT, along with perennial powers Penn State, Chattanooga, Oklahoma State and UConn making trips to Tampa. Season tickets, starting at just $65, are available for purchase online at USFBullsTix.com, by phone at 1-800-GoBulls or in person at the Gate B ticket office of the Sun Dome, with single game tickets going on sale in late September.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
– #GoBulls –
– #GoBulls –
