By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
NEW ORLEANS, JAN. 13, 2016 – No. 19/16 USF put an end to Tulane's perfect home run in dramatic fashion Wednesday night.
Shalethia Stringfield made a tough, go-ahead layup in traffic with three seconds left and the Bulls held on for a 71-67 victory in a battle of two of The American's top teams.
USF (11-4, 4-1) led by five with 24 seconds left and the Green Wave forced the sixth tie of the game on a 3-pointer by Leslie Vorpahl eight seconds later. Laura Ferreira came up with a clutch steal with two seconds left and her free throws helped USF win for the fourth time in the past five games.
The Bulls handed Tulane (12-5, 3-2) its first home loss in 10 games this season and got a standout performance from their biggest star. Courtney Williams posted a game-high 31 points and matched Tulane with 17 points in the fourth quarter. Williams also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to help USF finish with a 38-28 edge on the boards.
USBWA National Freshman of the Week Kitija Laksa continued her hot stretch with 17 points. The forward from Latvia extended her double-digit scoring streak to four games after powering the Bulls with 12 points in the first half.
Stringfield stepped up with nine points on a night that saw the Bulls shorthanded for much of the action. Senior Alisia Jenkins returned to the court after missing two games with an injury but played just six minutes.
Despite committing 10 turnovers, USF headed into halftime tied, 32-32, thanks to solid defense late in the second quarter. Tulane was held scoreless in the final three minutes and Laksa's layup evened things up with 57 seconds remaining. Laksa led all USF scorers with 12 points in the first half after connecting on two of three attempts from long range.
USF never led in the first half but jumped ahead just 20 seconds into the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Laksa. The Bulls made their first three shots of the second half with five quick points from Stringfield. Williams knocked down USF's third 3-pointer of the half to extend the lead to 43-34 less than three minutes in.
Tulane went on a 7-0 run in the final two minutes of the third quarter and grabbed a 50-47 lead on a 3-pointer by Vorpahl with seven seconds left. Vorpahl had 23 points through three quarters but scored just three more the rest of the way.
The lead changed hands three times in the first three minutes of a fourth quarter that belonged to Williams. The senior guard went 6-for-7 from the field in the final period of her third 30-point game of the season.
USF eyes a season sweep of East Carolina when conference play continues 2 p.m. Sunday at the Sun Dome. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
