By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
QUEENS, N.Y., NOV. 29, 2015 – No. 18/17 USF outscored St. John's in the fourth quarter but was unable to complete the comeback in a 74-70 loss at Carnesecca Arena on Sunday.
USF (3-2) trailed by as many as eight in the fourth quarter and cut its deficit to 72-70 on a 3-pointer by Courtney Williams with nine seconds remaining. The Bulls were unable to get any closer while going 26-for-67 from the field (38 percent) and 6-for-24 from long range.
“It was too little too late,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “The big thing with us is it just took us so long to get going. We have to get back and we have to get better.”
Williams extended her 20-point streak to five games this season with a game-high 28 points. Laura Ferreira added 10 points and Alisia Jenkins registered nine points and 15 rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 43-27 advantage on the boards.
The Bulls weren't able to overcome a season-high 21 turnovers, however, and trailed, 31-27, at the half after shooting a season-low 26.7 percent from the field.
“We averaged 10 turnovers a game and we had 21 tonight. A lot of it is a credit to them. Their hands were active, they got into passing lanes. I think their pressure and their energy sped us up.”
St. John's (4-1) improved to 8-2 all-time against USF by getting productive performances from its top three players. Leading scorer Danaejah Grant scored 27 points, Aliyyah Handford added 23 points and Aaliyah Lewis finished with 12 points.
St. John's turned the ball over 18 times but shot 52.8 percent and outscored USF, 36-22, in the paint.
“We knew what we were going to get coming in here. St. John's is a very good basketball team,” Fernandez said. “I think they're going to have a great year. They have two players that can really get them a lot night-in and night-out in Handford and Grant.”
The Bulls will look to bounce back during a three-game homestand that begins Thursday, Dec. 3 against Harvard at 7 p.m. USF faces Penn State on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. and finishes up its Sun Dome stay Sunday, Dec. 13 against Chattanooga at noon. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
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.
