By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

PHILADELPHIA, FEB. 6, 2016 – No. 19/17 USF's four-game winning streak came to an end with a 68-66 loss to Temple on Saturday at the Liacouras Center.

USF (16-6, 9-3) tied the game on a pair of free throws by Shalethia Stringfield with 26 seconds remaining and Temple answered with just one second left on the clock. Erica Covile grabbed an offensive rebound and her jumper helped Temple (15-7, 9-2) grab sole possession of second place in The American.

Courtney Williams's 3-pointer tied the game at 64-64 with less than a minute to go and the senior guard finished with a game-high 22 points. Williams made three of four of her attempts from long range and added a team-high 10 rebounds to help the Bulls grab a 44-42 edge on the glass.

Four Bulls finished in double-figures, including American Freshman of the Week Kitija Laksa, who scored 11 of her 15 total points in the third quarter. Stringfield added 10 points and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the senior guard's sixth double-digit outing in the past seven games.

The Bulls got a big boost with the return of Alisia Jenkins, who missed the past four games with an injury. The senior forward stepped up with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes. Jenkins' jumper gave USF a 59-57 lead with less than five minutes left.

Covile posted 15 points and 10 rebounds as Temple grabbed 19 boards on the offensive end and scored 17 second-chance points. The Owls scored 22 points off 16 USF turnovers in their fourth consecutive victory.

“They went to the glass, they rebounded and they made shots - bottom line,” head coach Jose Fernandez said.

USF will look to bounce back at home against Tulane on Tuesday 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com. Fans out of town can catch the game online on the American Digital Network.

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.