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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MARCH 23, 2015 – No. 25 USF is hungry for much more after coming so close to booking the program's first trip to the Sweet 16.
Alisia Jenkins gave USF a lead it took past the 3-minute mark, but the Bulls couldn't stop a late Louisville run in a 60-52 NCAA tournament second-round loss before a crowd of 5,014 at the Sun Dome on Monday night.
“Down the stretch we got some good looks and didn't make some good decisions, but that doesn't take away from the type of year this team had,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “We had a remarkable year.”
USF (27-8) tied the program record for wins and got another standout performance from Courtney Williams in the season finale. The junior guard and The American's scoring leader poured in a game-high 25 points after knocking down three of the Bulls' seven 3-pointers.
The 31st meeting between USF and No. 8 Louisville started with both teams showcasing their ability to score in bunches.
Louisville (27-6) got back-to-back 3-pointers from Jude Schimmel and Mariya Moore during a game-opening 12-2 run. USF fired back with a 12-2 run of its own that started with two 3-pointers from Laura Ferreira another from Shalethia Stringfield. Williams joined the attack from beyond the arc with a 3-pointer to tie things up at 14-14 less than 7 minutes into the action.
Five of USF's eight first-half field goals came from long range and Williams' second 3-pointer tied the score again at 19-19 with six minutes remaining before halftime.
Louisville responded with a 5-0 run that included senior forward Shawnta' Dyer's first-career 3-pointer and headed into the break with a 28-23 lead. The Cardinals used their size advantage to grab a 21-14 edge on the boards with eight rebounds on the offensive end.
Feisty USF cut its deficit to 37-34 less than seven minutes into the second half and the Bulls made their charge past the midpoint. Williams scored five points during a 6-0 run and Jenkins' layup gave the Bulls their lone lead with 5:06 to play.
“At that point in time that's where you've got to close,” Fernandez said. “You've got to make the most out of all those offensive trips. It was 47-46 and we got outscored, 14-5, down the stretch, that's tough.”
Schimmel scored eight of her team-high 13 points during the decisive run to lead four Cardinals in double figures. Schimmel added six rebounds to help Louisville finish with 45-32 advantage on the glass. The Cardinals grabbed 20 rebounds on the offensive end and forced 16 turnovers.
“I thought they imposed their will in the paint - that was a big difference,” Fernandez said. “This looked like the Connecticut game a week and a half ago. We did a great job rebounding all year and tonight we didn't do a good job of that.”
Looking ahead, USF brings back all but one player from this season's squad and fans got another good look at the future Monday night.
Ferreira, a freshman forward, finished with nine points after making three 3-pointers. Stringfield, a junior guard, added seven points and a game-high five assists. Jenkins finished off her super junior season with seven points and seven rebounds.
“We return a lot from this year's team,” Fernandez said. “How we improve and how we get better will reflect on how we carry it over to next year.”
Williams also will return after setting a new USF single-season scoring record with 710 points. The unanimous first-team all-conference selection said the future looks bright for the Bulls with more hard work.
“I think everybody has to have a great summer,” Williams said. “You can't be complacent with where we're at now. We have to work. I think if everybody that's coming back does that we'll be alright.”
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