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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, MARCH 21, 2015 – Head coach Jose Fernandez said his sixth-seeded Bulls were “dialed in” heading into the NCAA tournament and they didn't disappoint in a 73-64 first-round win over No. 11 seed LSU before a crowd of 5,560 at the Sun Dome on Saturday night.

No. 25 USF (27-7) matched the best record in program history with its second-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Bulls look to book a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time when they face third-seeded Louisville 9 p.m. Monday back at the Sun Dome.

“We prepared during the summertime and we started off great. This is what we've been working for,” junior guard Courtney Williams said.

Williams set a new single-season USF scoring record by posting a game-high 17 points with 12 rebounds. The All-America candidate from Folkston, Ga., had plenty of help in USF's first chance to host an NCAA tournament game.

Junior forward Alisia Jenkins registered 15 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward Maria Jespersen made her NCAA tournament debut a memorable one with 11 points and six rebounds. The Bulls also got nine points and six rebounds from sophomore center Katelyn Weber, and junior guard Shalethia Stringfield added nine points off the bench.

“I think it's just a product of how this team has developed and grown throughout the year and especially the makeup of this team,” Fernandez said. “... As the game got deeper it's almost like we started to get stronger.”

USF kept an LSU comeback out of reach by going 22-for-29 at the free throw line and grabbing 19 of 45 total rebounds on the offensive end. The Bulls dished out 16 assists and forced 16 turnovers while the Lady Tigers (17-14) went 3-for-13 from long range.

“I just felt like I was a jockey and I was along for the ride today at shootaround. They were dialed in and they were focused,” said Fernandez, whose Bulls took a 38-32 lead into halftime.

LSU built a five-point lead in the first three minutes of the game but the Bulls were in control as the first half approached the midpoint. USF used a 7-0 run to grab a 20-12 lead and a pair of free throws by Weber put the Bulls ahead, 27-15, with eight minutes to go before the break.

USF took a 12-point lead past the 3-minute mark, but LSU closed the half a 9-3 run and got a buzzer-beating jumper from Raigyne Moncrief.

“That momentum play that Moncrief hit definitely was a positive in our favor, but we talked about the first four minutes of the second half,” LSU head coach Nikki Caldwell said. “You have to win that segment and we missed some opportunities to keep them off the glass, and their first eight points were off second-chance points in that segment.”

The momentum shifted back to the Bulls in a hurry in the opening minute of the second with a freshman leading the charge. Ferreira knocked down a 3-pointer 30 seconds into the action and made another 26 seconds later following a rebound by Williams.

“I thought the roof on this place was going to go off, it was just great,” Fernandez said.

Jenkins' layup capped off an 8-0 run to open the second half and the Bulls never let the lead dip below eight points the rest of the way.

“We got through the first one. Now we have to start working tomorrow and get ready for Monday night,” Fernandez said.

Monday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and the Bulls are focused on putting together another strong performance against Louisville.

“I think our mindset at this point is it has to be intense, win or go home,” Williams said. “We have to take advantage of every moment. We can't take this for granted.”

Tickets for USF-Louisville are $18 and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com. The first 500 USF students at the gate will receive free admission with a valid USF ID.

NOTES

- Courtney Williams set a new USF single-season scoring record with 17 points against LSU. The junior guard has totaled 685 points this season. Previous record-holder and current Bulls administrative assistant Jessica Dickson scored 682 points during the 2005-06 season.

- LSU (17-14) won is past 16 consecutive opening-round NCAA tournament games heading into Saturday night.

- USF won its second NCAA tournament game. The Bulls started their 2012-13 NCAA tournament run with a 71-70 victory at Texas Tech before falling to Cal in overtime in the second round.