TAMPA, JAN. 31, 2016 – Down two starters, head coach Jose Fernandez and his No. 20/18 Bulls knew Sunday's match-up would not be easy. In their second meeting this season, USF needed all 25 points of its six reserves to defeat SMU in Dallas.
Senior Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) led the Bulls with 19 points, including 15 in the second half and eight rebounds. The Georgia native was 6-of-18 from the floor, and connected on 7-of-9 free throw attempts. Williams also added two assists and three steals. Shalethia Stringfield (Jacksonville, Fla.) followed with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) added 12 points, six rebounds and a career high three blocks. Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) notched her fourth double-digit outing with 12 points and seven rebounds. The sophomore also added three assists and one steal.
The Bulls were cold in the first quarter, and trailed by 7 with 2 minutes and 48 seconds remaining. Williams picked up her second foul, and the Bulls were forced to finish the quarter with just two starters on the court. Despite the setback, guards Stringfield and Trimaine McCullough (Orlando, Fla.) went to work, and brought the Bulls within one at the close. McCullough entered the game with 35 seconds left in the quarter and immediately scored four seconds into her first appearance this season.
Stringfield opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and gave USF its first lead of the game. The Bulls stretched their lead to seven, but the Mustangs raced back and with three minutes left in the half, regained the lead. The key turning point in the game came on a lay-up made by Ariadna Pujol (Mataro, Spain) for an old-fashioned three-point play. Pujol followed with a steal and drew a charge on SMU's Mikayla Reese. USF responded to the momentum shift and surged forward to lead by seven at the half.
USF outscored the Mustangs 13-9 in the third quarter, but the Bulls defense had its best outing this season. USF forced seven turnovers in the third quarter and collected five of its 10 steals. USF also forced its first shot clock violation this season.
Williams took over the fourth quarter, scored 10 points, and sealed USF's third straight victory. In the past three games, USF has held its opponents to less than 50 points.
The Bulls return to action Wednesday and host Cincinatti at 7 p.m. USF will partner with the Moffitt Cancer Center for Bulls Against Cancer. The goal is to raise awareness for different types of cancer, while promoting cancer prevention and early detection among sports fans. For the occasion, USF will wear commemorative grey jerseys for the occasion.
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.
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