STORRS, CONN., FEB. 29, 2016 – Despite an impressive defensive performance in the first half, the University of South Florida women's basketball team was not able to overcome No. 1 UConn in the regular season finale. The Bulls fell 79-59 to the Huskies, but led the American Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions 25-24 at the half, the first time UConn had given up a halftime lead this season.
“I thought the first 20 minutes, defensively, went really well,” said head coach Jose Fernandez. “We did some good things, we took four charges in that first half. For the most part, we did a good job on the glass and limited them to one shot.”
Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) scored a team high 21-points, including 12 points in the first quarter. The Naismith Trophy candidate finished 9-of-22 from the floor and added six rebounds, two assists and one block. Senior Shalethia Stringfield (Jacksonville, Fla.) knocked down 13-points, dished out two assists, and added three rebounds. Sophomore Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) added 12 points while Alisia Jenkins (Statesboro, Ga.) grabbed six rebounds and eight points.
USF (21-8, 14-4 The American) shot 57 percent from the floor in the first quarter, 50 percent from behind the arc, to take a 19-15 lead after the first 10 minutes. It was the second consecutive game the Huskies have trailed after 10 minutes and the third time this season.
''Coach just told us to play free and that's what we did in the first half,'' Williams said.
The Bulls pushed the lead to 22-17 in the second quarter when Ferreira was fouled while taking a 3-point shot and hit all three free throws. The Huskies ended the second quarter on a 7-3 run, but the Bulls went to the locker room with a one-point lead, and held the Huskies to their lowest first half point total this season.
After the break, the Huskies outscored the Bulls 32-14 in the third quarter thanks to Breanna Stewart, who finished the first half with seven points, and just 3-for-12 from the field. Stewart scored 16 of her 27 points in the third quarter.
“They were very efficient in the third quarter,” said Fernandez. “The full court pressure didn't bother us, but I thought the second and third opportunities in the third quarter really hurt us.”
UConn outrebounded USF 13-2 in the third frame, including seven offensive rebounds, which led to eight second chance points. The Huskies switched to a zone defense to slow down the Bulls, and it worked.
''It was like we'd never seen zone all year,'' added Fernandez. ''We didn't get the ball to the right area, hit the corner or use any dribble ups. We just stood and that took us out of some things.''
USF trailed UConn 56-39 after three quarters, and the Huskies cruised to its 60th consecutive American Athletic Conference victory. USF led the Huskies for over 17 minutes and held them below their season average of 88 points for the second time this season. Only six players saw action for the Bulls; Ferreira, Stringfield and Williams played all 40 minutes.
USF clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship for the second consecutive season. The conference tournament takes place March 4-7 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The Bulls begin the tournament against either No. 7-seeded SMU or No. 10-seeded UCF on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
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 –
