TAMPA, JAN. 27, 2016 – The one-two punch of senior Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) and freshman Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) continued to knock out opponents Wednesday night as once again the duo proved unstoppable in the Bulls 73-49 win over Houston in American Athletic Conference action. The pair combined for 40 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and helped the Bulls advance to 11-1 at home.
Williams recorded her eighth double-double of the season, leading No. 20/18 USF (14-5, 7-2 AAC) with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Williams now sits second in the all-time scoring list with 1,953 points. The senior is chasing 2,000 points and will become the second player in program history to reach the feat. Williams sits behind Hall of Famer Jessica Dickson ('07), who paved the way with 2,402 points. Williams made 7-of-13 shots (54 percent) in 34 minutes of action and added two assists and two blocks. Laksa led the Bulls with 24 points and turned in her 13th multi-three point performance, collecting six threes on 11 attempts.
The Bulls got off to a slow start in the first quarter, and led by a slim 13-12 advantage. USF's defense stepped up in the second quarter, holding the Cougars to nine points, and Laksa led the Bulls offensive attack, collecting three of her six three-pointers, and 13 points in the second frame. USF used an 18-0 run to open the second quarter to run away from Houston.
USF kept the pressure on in the second half, and the bench came alive collecting 17 points in the final 20 minutes. Newcomer Nancy Warioba (Kisumu, Kenya) recorded new career highs with eight points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Senior Shalethia Stringfield (Jacksonville, Fla.) turned in another solid outing, with eight points, five rebounds and a game high six assists. The senior has now collected at least six assists in three consecutive games.
Since the Bulls loss at Memphis (Jan. 20), they have outscored opponents by a margin of 31.5 points per game.
The Bulls finish up the week with a showdown versus SMU at 2 p.m. Sunday in Dallas (TV: ESPNU). USF will be going for another regular season sweep after defeating SMU, 83-56, at the Sun Dome on Jan. 7.
Fans' next chance to catch the Bulls at home is Wednesday, Feb. 3 against Cincinnati at 7 p.m.
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. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 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 –
