By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TULSA, Okla., FEB. 24, 2016 – No. 21/20 USF reached 20 wins for the fourth consecutive season by holding off Tulsa, 72-66, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Wednesday night.
Courtney Williams led the way with a game-high 33 points as USF (20-7, 13-3) secured its seventh 20-win season under head coach Jose Fernandez. The Bulls trailed, 32-30, at halftime and had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter before Tulsa cut it to 64-58 with 2:34 to play.
Williams reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season and the Bulls got solid production from their sophomore forwards. Laura Ferreira made all three of USF's 3-pointers and finished with 18 points. Maria Jespersen posted six points and a career-high 13 rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 35-31 edge on the boards.
Williams recorded her 26th double-digit scoring game of the season with 16 points in a first half that saw the Bulls on the comeback trail.
USF held Tulsa (10-18, 7-10) scoreless for more than two minutes to start the game, but a cold spell resulted in a 9-8 lead for the Golden Hurricane with 4:24 left in the opening quarter. Ferreira sparked USF with a 3-pointer and a layup by Jespersen helped the Bulls close the opening quarter with a 15-14 advantage.
Williams jumped into double figures in the opening minute of the second quarter and USF continued on an 8-0 run on the way to a 21-14 lead in the first two minutes. USF had to endure another scoring drought lasting about five minutes while Tulsa took a 25-23 lead on a 3-pointer from Ashley Clark with 2:48 remaining.
Seeking its first win over a ranked opponent, Tulsa came in averaging 5.7 3-pointers per game and made four of its seven total baskets from long range in the first two quarters. Williams' jumper with 57 seconds left stopped a 10-2 Tulsa run and the Bulls scored the final five points of the half to head into the break trailing, 32-30.
USF seized the momentum by outscoring Tulsa, 22-11, in the third quarter as Ferreira got into double figures.
The lead changed hands three times in the first three minutes of the third quarter and the Bulls took control with a 10-0 run midway through. Ferreira scored four points during the surge and Jespersen's layup pumped USF's lead up to 45-36 with 4:59 remaining.
Ferreira heated up with 10 points in the third quarter and Williams' jumper extended the advantage to 52-43 with 15 seconds remaining in the period. Wednesday marked Ferreira's 11th double-digit scoring game of the season and her second straight since returning from an injury.
USF scored six straight points to open the fourth quarter and Tulsa didn't answer until Clark's jumper cut the Bulls' lead to 58-45 with 6:34 remaining. Clark led Tulsa with 26 points and got the Golden Hurricane with six of the Bulls with 2:34 to go.
The Bulls went on a 5-0 run to end Tulsa's comeback chances and add to another highly successful season under Fernandez.
Watch the Bulls most successful senior class play their final regular season game at the Sun Dome when the Bulls host Temple on Saturday at 2 p.m. Senior Day ceremonies will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
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.
