TAMPA, JAN. 17, 2016 – In Sunday's matinee against East Carolina, No. 19/16 USF received a career performance from one of its biggest role players on the roster. Coming off the bench, senior Shalethia Stringfield dropped a game 22 points in the Bulls 75-54 action packed American Athletic Conference match-up.
The fourth quarter belonged to Stringfield, who just four days earlier lifted the Bulls (12-4, 5-1 AAC) past Tulane with the game winning shot. The 5-6 guard scored 14 of her 22 in the final ten minutes, which also accounted for 14 of the Bulls 22 points in the fourth quarter. Stringfield played 32 minutes, shooting 66 percent (6-for-9) from the floor and collected nine points on 11 trips to the free throw line.
East Carolina entered the Sunday's match-up ready for a fight, and pushed to a 15-12 advantage in the first quarter. The Pirates defense held the Bulls to a game low 28.6 shooting percentage. Just when East Carolina was primed for a run, Ariadna Pujol entered the game and forced a momentum shift. Just three minutes into the second quarter, the junior cut the Pirates lead to five points on a lay-up, and followed with a big defensive stop before the media timeout. In the Bulls next possession, Pujol found Laura Ferreria for an old fashioned three-point play, which cut East Carolina's lead and sparked a 6-2 run by USF.
After the break, Courtney Williams and Ferreira combined for 13 points in the third and USF ended the quarter on a 17-4 run to give the Bulls a 53-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Stringfield sealed the deal in the final quarter, and led USF to its ninth 20-plus point victory this season. Williams added 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal for her seventh double-double of the season. Williams also had a strong defensive showing, holding ECU's Jada Payne to just 13 points and a 25 percent shooting percentage (5-for-20). Ferreira returned to double-digit scoring with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Alisia Jenkins returned to the line-up and collected 11 rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
Jenkins 11 rebounds helped the Bulls to a 51-41 rebounding advantage, which marked the Bulls seventh 50-plus rebound outing. Sunday's game was the first series sweep for USF in the 2015-16 season. USF defeated East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. Jan. 2nd in its American Athletic Conference opener.
USF returns to action Wednesday, in the first of a two-game road swing. The Bulls head to Memphis for a tough match-up against the Tigers Jan. 20. The game will air on the American Digital Network. The last time the Bulls appeared on the network, freshman Kitija Laksa delivered one of the programs best performances, scoring a career best 38 points. USF stays on the road Sunday, Jan. 24 when it travels up I-4 to play UCF in a game that will air on ESPNU.
The Bulls continue to climb in the polls, and have reached their highest rankings in program history. USF has been ranked as highly as No. 18 in the Associated Press poll and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season; both are the highest rankings in program history. USF has appeared in both polls every week and placed as highly as No. 11 on some ballots.
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.
– #GoBulls –
