By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
LOS ANGELES, MARCH 21, 2016 – Two of the best players in USF women's basketball history had one last incredible run with the Bulls on Monday night.
Seniors Courtney Williams and Alisia Jenkins combined to post 52 points and nearly helped the Bulls erase a 16-point deficit in the second half of a 72-67 loss to host UCLA in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
No. 21 USF (24-10) pulled to within one point of No. 10 UCLA (26-8) three times in the fourth quarter and came up just short of the program's first trip to the Sweet 16.
“The last two years we're a couple minutes away from going to the Sweet 16, so you just have to keep at it,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “I think we have a really great group coming back and that's what they'll be looking forward to this offseason.”
One talented returner for next season is conference rookie of the year Kitija Laksa, who scored 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
USF's seniors helped the program win at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons with three trips to the NCAA tournament in their collegiate careers. Monday night was an example of why the group has been so special.
Williams put on a show, like she has so many times before as a Bull, scoring 23 of her game-high 29 points in the second half with nine rebounds. Jenkins also grabbed nine rebounds and her 23 points were her most since scoring 27 against Harvard on Dec. 3.
Senior Shalethia Stringfield was another key ingredient to USF's winning formula this postseason and the speedy guard finished with five points, five rebounds and four assists.
“I'm proud of this group. This senior class has won more games for our program than any class in school history,” Fernandez said. “I'm going to definitely miss these guys because not only are these great basketball players, but they're great people. They're going to be very successful after they leave the University of South Florida.”
Williams set USF's new NCAA single-game record with 31 points on Saturday and the other half of the dynamic senior duo stepped up in the first half Monday night.
Jenkins jumped into double figures for the 12th time this season with 10 points while going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Williams started 3-for-15 from the field and had six points at halftime with the Bulls facing a 40-24 deficit.
Jenkins gave the USF offense an instant jolt of energy after the break with five points during the Bulls' 9-0 run to start the third quarter. Jenkins knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and Williams followed with a jumper to knock USF's deficit down to 40-33.
Williams was in double figures by the middle of the third quarter and her second consecutive 3-pointer dropped UCLA's lead down to 42-39. Williams and Jenkins combined for 21 points while USF outscored UCLA, 23-10, in the third quarter.
The Bulls battled all the way to the end in their final quarter of the season and nearly jumped ahead.
USF worked what was once a double-digit deficit all the way down to one point three times in the fourth quarter. Williams' layup cut the UCLA lead to 61-60 with 4:44 to go, but the Bruins answered on the other end and responded with four consecutive points.
Jenkins made a pair of free throws to pull USF within three with 1:03 to go and the Bulls kept fighting. USF's senior duo cut the UCLA lead to two twice in the final 20 seconds, but Jordin Canada's free throws put the comeback out of the reach with five seconds remaining.
“It's a tough game. When you get down to this point there are very, very good basketball teams and the margin of error is very, very small,” Fernandez said. “We went empty on a lot of possessions and UCLA made the most of some possessions down the stretch.”
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 –
