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American Athletic Conference Tournament Central
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UNCASVILLE, CONN., MARCH 9, 2015 – With a conference championship on the line, the University of South Florida put together a gem of a performance.

The Bulls (26-7 overall) outscored No. 1/1 UConn 47-38 in the second half, playing the Huskies to their lowest win-margin of the season Monday in a 84-70 American Athletic Conference Championship loss. It was the second time in eight days USF fell to UConn by less than 25 points, a feat done by just two other teams this season.

 Starting the same small lineup it did in the regular season finale, USF played with an iron five for the first 17 minutes of action before getting senior guard Tamara Taylor a rest at the end of the half. The Bulls got open looks early, couldn't find second chance opportunities as the Huskies hit the glass, out-rebounding USF 26-10 and getting 14 second chance points.

Junior forward Alisia Jenkins continued her hot streak, adding three blocks and three rebounds to her six first-half points. Down 46-17 late in the half, Shalethia Stringfield knocked down big three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, sending USF on a 6-2 run to end the half, down 46-23.

Taking its momentum into the second half, the Bulls cut UConn's lead to just 17 within the first five minutes on a pair of baskets from Williams and a big three-pointer from Stringfield.

Stringfield attacked the lane repeatedly for the Bulls, dropping 14 second-half points, including a three-point play to cut the lead to 15 with 10 minutes left.

USF shot 53 percent from the field in the second half, including 4-5 from beyond the three-point arc, but the Huskies continued to score as well, matching the Bulls with a 50 percent field goal rate to keep USF at bay.

With one minute remaining, the Bulls pulled Williams who had been battling a tweaked ankle, but Taylor kept the Bulls' offense going, knocking down the remaining five points to finish the game for USF in the 84-70 loss.

Taylor started and scored 17 points, recording double-digit points for the fourth consecutive game. Stringfield led USF with 20 points, tying her career high, while Williams (16) and Jenkins (10) also reached double digits. 

USF will learn its NCAA Tournament position next Monday evening during the selection show, with first-round action starting the weekend of March 20.