UNCASVILLE, CONN., MARCH 6, 2016 – Sunday night's American Athletic Conference semifinal game lived up to all the hype, with eight ties and eight lead changes, but second-seeded USF powered past No. 3 Temple, 64-46, at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“We knew it was going to be a great basketball game,” said head coach Jose Fernandez. “We knew we were going to get Temple's best punch, right now they are playing to get into the NCAA Tournament.”
The Bulls outscored Temple, 33-9, in the final 18 minutes of the game and were led by senior Shalethia Stringfield (Jacksonville, Fla.) in her first career double-double. Stringfield poured in 20 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
“It happened for our team on the defensive end, we defended. I thought Shalethia Stringfield's rebounding and perimeter game made the difference.”
The point guard played all 40 minutes, added two assists and went 6-for-7 from the charity stripe. Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) followed her record breaking 29-point quarterfinal performance with a game-high 22 points, 20 in the second half.
“Lee carried us through the first half," added Williams. “I was flustered, and didn't want to force it.”
Williams shot 56 percent from the floor, 50 percent from long range and added one assist, two blocks and one steal.
The first quarter played out much like the pairs' first two meetings, two fast-pace offenses going on quick runs, which included three lead changes. Temple jumped to a 6-2 lead, but a 12-0 run sparked by Alisia Jenkins, ended the quarter with a 15-14 Temple lead. Jenkins scored six of her final 12 points in the first quarter, and helped the Bulls score 10 of their 15 points in the paint. Jenkins finished with 15 rebounds in her ninth double-double of the year.
Ariadna Pujol (Mataro, Spain) started the second quarter, with Williams on the bench in foul trouble, and drained a three-pointer in the Bulls' first possession. The Owls answered with a 4-0 run, and retook a 19-17 lead. Temple led for the first five minutes, but Stringfield carried the Bulls with eight points in the quarter. USF ended the half on a 5-2 run and entered the break with a 29-24 halftime lead.
Temple opened the third quarter swinging, and took its largest lead of the game, but Williams opened the floodgates with nine points in the 14-2 Bulls run. USF led 45-39 after 30 minutes of action. Williams and the Bulls stayed hot, ending the game in a 33-9 run, sealing its 23rd victory of the season, and punching their ticket to their second consecutive championship game.
The Bulls owned a 47-35 rebounding edge, and limited the Owls to a 12 percent three-point field goal percentage. Tanaya Atkinson was the only Temple player in double figures, leading the Owls with 17 points.
USF made its first appearance in a conference title game last season. The Bulls will meet No. 1 UConn for the third time this year. USF looks for the program's first ever-tournament title.
The American Athletic Conference Championship game is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
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 –
