TAMPA, Fla.  Nov. 18, 2018 – Behind a team effort of four scorers in double-figures and a career-high 34 points from senior wing Laura Ferreira, No. 21 USF women's basketball stepped up to defeat Big 12-foe Oklahoma 87-70 at the Yuengling Center on Sunday, just three days after losing senior superstar and All-America candidate Kitija Laksa to injury. 
 
USF's dominant 19-2 run to start the fourth quarter powered the Bulls over Oklahoma, who were tied 50-50 midway through the third quarter. USF took a slight 58-54 advantage into the final 10 minutes, but defensive stops combined with Laura Ferreira's lights out shooting powered the Bulls to the dominant finish. 
 
In the first four minutes, USF was caught off guard by OU's defensive switch-up and OU got out to a 10-2 start. USF called a timeout and Fernandez made adjustments which sprung the Bulls immediately to life. USF ran for 11 unanswered points in an eventual 17-3 run to take its first lead with just under three minutes to go, and maintained that lead until the second half. The Bulls' first-half run was powered by defensive stops and forced turnovers, as USF forced 14 of Oklahoma's 22 turnovers in the first half alone. 
 
Young players stepped into the void left by Laksa, as freshman point guard Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) tied her career high 16 points, adding four assists and two steals, helped USF in critical moments to swing momentum in front of 2,804 fans at the Yuengling Center. 
 
Freshman center Beatriz Jordao (Pombal, Portugal) had her second double-figure game of the young season with 13 points and six rebounds on the night, while adding three blocks and an assist. 
 
Freshman point guard Eliza Pinzan (Murano, Italy) is also not to be overlooked, as she dished out seven assists, three points, three rebounds and a steal for USF, who was looking for a solid fifth-man to play a lot of minutes in the backcourt with the departure of Laksa. 
 
Not only did Ferreira step up big offensively, she played tough defense on Oklahoma's Shaina Pellington, holding the sophomore guard to just seven points, even though she combined for 57 points in Oklahoma's previous two games. Junior post Alyssa Rader also led the Bulls tonight, with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds and made critical put-back shots during USF's fourth-quarter run.
 
Jose Fernandez on the team win…
"The biggest key was we were able to play those four post-players and we did such a great job on the glass in the second half," head coach Jose Fernandez said. "Laura had a phenomenal performance tonight but I thought she did an even better job on the defensive end. We're just going to be a different team without Kitija [Laksa] on the floor. Good team win,  but we need to get back to work tomorrow because we have Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA coming up." 
 
Alyssa Rader on what this win means… 
"Kudos to them, they are a great team, they shoot the ball very well and find their open man really well, but tonight I think we had a good win and I'm happy to be on the court with these girls. It's great for us to get a team win and show everyone, not just us, everyone in the nation that we are still a team to beat and we are still a team that can play." 
 
Laura Ferreira on her success tonight… 
"I made the first one so I was feeling comfortable, confident, but as a team everyone was really sharing the ball, passing the ball, and whenever I was open I would take it," senior wing Laura Ferreira said. "And if I missed, they were going to get the rebound. We were just confident and we were really playing together." 
 
Key Stats
34 – Senior Laura Ferreira had a career-high 34 points on the night, her first 30-point game 
50.0 – The Bulls shot 50 percent from the floor on the night, their highest of the year 
8 – Ferreira put away 8-of-11 three-pointers on the night, which ties her for fourth best all-time for three-pointers made in a game.  
 
Notable

• USF is 4-0 on the season for the third consecutive season. 
• USF has had three or more scorers in double figures in every game this season. 
• Laura Ferreira had career highs in the following categories: points with 34, field goals made with 13, field goals attempted with 20, three-point field goals made with eight (ties for fourth all-time at USF), and three-point field goals attempted with 11. 
• Alyssa Rader had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds on the night. 
• Elisa Pinzan had a game-high seven assists on the night. 
• Sydni Harvey had 16 points while Beatriz Jordao had 13 points. 

 
Up Next
USF now looks to continue its stretch of four Power Five opponents in six days as the Bulls will travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to play in the Paradise Jam. USF will take on Kentucky (receiving votes) on Thanksgiving Day, followed by North Carolina (receiving votres) on Friday, Nov. 23 and round out the tournament with No. 23 UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 24 
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15. 
 
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.