TAMPA, JAN. 19, 2019 – With just eight available players, USF defeated Tulane (receiving votes) in a dominating 73-46 victory on Saturday afternoon in the Yuengling Center behind career-high nights from Sydni Harvey and Enna Pehadzic.
 
Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) and Enna Pehadzic (Horsens, Denmark), sparked the fire at the Yuengling Center, as each set career highs in scoring and combined for 46 points. The scoring bulk is a needed boost for USF (11-7, 2-2 AAC) who is missing more than 50 points from five unavailable players. 
 
Harvey had a game-high 25 points on a 9-of-17 clip from the field, including a career-best tying four three-pointers in her career-best outing. Pehadzic had 21 points and eight rebounds, including a career-high five treys made to power USF. Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) had her third double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 12 points. Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) dished out 10 points and eight rebounds alongside four assists to push USF over Tulane (13-5, 3-2 AAC). 
 
Tulane jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter, but the Bulls swam out of the Green Wave and went on a 7-0 run of their own. USF then held Tulane scoreless for almost four minutes in the first quarter. The offensive showing was led by Harvey who hit three of her four treys in the first quarter. The two teams were neck and neck at the end of the first period and USF had a slight 16-14 advantage at the quarter break. 
 
After shooting just 5-of-17 from the field in the first quarter, the Bulls came alive in the second period and outscored Tulane 24-8. USF allowed no Tulane points until midway through the second period and USF took a 40-22 lead to the locker room. By halftime, three Bulls had already scored in double figures and Leverett needed just two rebounds to earn her double-double.
 
Coming out of the break, Tulane hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 16, but would get no closer the rest of the way. Leverett picked up her needed two boards to meet the double-double threshold, and USF held the Green Wave scoreless for another near-four minute period. 
 
The fourth quarter was all Bulls' fun, as Pehadzic hit three more three-pointers and USF shot a cool 57.1 percent from the floor on an 8-of-14 clip. 
 
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. USF currently relies on eight healthy players including five freshmen to battle through conference play. 

Quotable by Head Coach Jose Fernandez… 
"I'm really proud of this group after everything they've been through. I thought we had a good week of practice. Two days ago we practiced with six because as you saw Shae and Enna had some bandages today, because they ran into one another with nobody on the floor. But it was good to have them today. 
 
"When you look at this group with five of the eight being freshman, we only have one day-one starter out there. They just continue to work, play for one another, and invest. That's what great programs do. We've had a lot of adversity this year so you can really look at the character of people that we have in our program and on our roster. 
 
"We beat a really good Tulane team today … My goals for this team have not changed one bit. Because the work ethic and the character in that locker room have brought it every day. Our goals haven't changed one bit just because we've had adversity. This is still an NCAA tournament team … We have got a lot of games left … Our kids understand how we have to play every day and compete every possession." 

Key Stats
27 – The highest margin in a conference game for USF this year, and the largest winning margin for USF since it defeated Vermont on Dec. 17, 2018.  
46 – Harvey and Pehadzic combined for 46 points in their career best showings
17 – USF assisted 17 of their 26 field goals.  

Notable

• Sydni Harvey had a career-high 25 points and tied her career high four three-pointers made to lead all scorers in the victory. 
• Enna Pehadzic had a career high 21 points and a career-high five three-pointers made in the victory 
• Shae Leverett had her third double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Four Bulls scored in double figures. At least two Bulls have scored in double figures in every game this season. 
• USF out-rebounded the Green Wave 39-28, a standard for the Bulls this season.  
• USF supported the We Back Pat organization in support of finding a cure for Alzheimer's, backed by the Pat Summit foundation. 
• USF is outscoring opponents at the Yuengling Center by 28.6 points on an 8-1 clip. 

Up Next
The Bulls return to the Yuengling Center to host Memphis on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
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.
–#GoBulls–