STORRS, CONN., JAN. 13, 2019 – With just eight available players, USF led No. 3 UConn for much of the first half, and outrebounded No. 3 UConn 42-26 in the 46-63 setback on Saturday afternoon.
USF (10-7, 1-2 AAC) won the first-quarter battle, leading the No. 3 Huskies (14-1, 3-0 AAC) 14-12. Midway through the first quarter, UConn tried to adjust to the Bulls' tough start, sending all five UConn starters to the bench in attempts to derail USF. The effort was thwarted by an 8-0 USF run and the Bulls led 14-6 early in the game.
The Bulls also won the battle of the boards, and outrebounded UConn 42-to-26. Three Bulls alone combined for more rebounds than all Huskies.
Enna Pehadzic (Horsens, Denmark) had her second consecutive double-double with a team-high 17 points and game-high 12 rebounds.
Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) had her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and
Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) pulled down 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Those three Bulls, the only veterans available alongside five freshman, combined for more rebounds than the Huskies with 33.
Pehadzic also tied her career high for three pointers in a game with four makes. Leverett added eight points,
Luize Septe (Ventspils, Latvia) chipped in four points,
Janeta Rozentale (Dobeles, Latvia) hit a lone three-pointer, while
Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) added a layup to round out the Bulls' scoring effort.
Despite being without five key players, USF got within 10 in the fourth quarter, but a 10-0 run pushed UConn to the victory.
USF is without senior superstar
Kitija Laksa, freshman
Beatriz Jordao and freshman
Silvia Serrat due to season-ending injuries. Senior and leading scorer
Laura Ferreira is out indefinitely with illness, and junior
Alyssa Rader is out temporarily. The unavailable Bulls combine for 51.6 points of the Bulls' offense this season.
Key Stats
33 – USF's three Bulls Pehadzic, Leverett and Henshaw combined for 33 rebounds, more than No. 3 UConn could manage as a team.
14-12 – USF's first quarter advantage against the dominant AAC foe.
24-6 – UConn forced 23 Bulls' turnovers and capitalized on them, scoring 24 points off of turnovers in comparison to USF's 6 points off of turnovers.
Notable
- Enna Pehadzic earned her second consecutive double-double and third of her career.
- USF out-rebounded the Huskies 42-26, and three Bulls combined for more rebounds than the Huskies.
- Redshirtsenior Laura Ferreira missed the game with an illness and is averaging 15.8 points per game this season. Junior Alyssa Rader also missed the action and is averaging 7.9 points this season.
- Tamara Henshaw had her first double-double this season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
- USF has had at least two Bulls score in double figures in each game this season.
Up Next
The Bulls return to the YuenglingCenter to host Tulane on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 1 p.m. Reserve your seats at
USFBullsTix.com.
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 Fernandezat 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.
–#GoBulls–
