By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

NEW ORLEANS, FEB. 6, 2019 – Using just seven players, shorthanded USF leaned on its lockdown defense and got back on track with a gutsy 50-45 victory at Tulane on Wednesday night.

USF (12-11, 3-6 in AAC) limited Tulane to a 28-percent shooting performance (21-for-75) and completed the regular season sweep of Tulane (14-8, 4-5 in AAC) on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

Sophomore guard Enna Pehadzic (Horsens, Denmark) scored a team-high 13 points and was one of four Bulls that logged in at least 32 minutes. Freshman guard Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) added 11 points, and freshman wing Luize Septe (Ventspils, Latvia) posted seven points and seven rebounds in a full 40 minutes of action.

Junior post Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) gave the Bulls a huge boost in the second half with seven points and seven rebounds, finishing with nine points and a game-high 12 boards. Junior post Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) chipped in with six points and 10 rebounds to help USF finish with a 50-43 advantage on the glass.  

USF's defense held Tulane to a 24-percent shooting showing from the field in the opening half that saw the Bulls build a 26-22 lead by the break.

Harvey connected from long range to put USF ahead in the opening minute of a back-and-forth first quarter that featured five lead changes. Boosted by a 4-0 run, the Bulls closed the opening quarter with a 13-10 advantage after Tulane went 1-for-12 from the field down the stretch.

Trailing 20-17, USF swung the momentum back in its favor with a 7-0 run in nearly a two-minute span. Relentless defense kept the Bulls ahead by halftime as the Green Wave made one of its final 11 shots from the field in the second quarter.

USF roared out of the gates in the second half with a 7-2 run and Henshaw's mid-range jumper spotted the Bulls a 33-24 lead midway through the third period. Henshaw scored five of USF's 10 points in the period while Tulane cut its deficit down to 36-35 thanks to a 7-0 run in the final 2:20.

USF responded with a 7-0 run of its own to open the fourth quarter and Luize Septe's (Ventspils, Latvia) tip-in put the Bulls up by eight with about seven minutes remaining. Clinging to a four-point lead with 4:23 to play, USF's defense sealed the deal by keeping Tulane scoreless for nearly four minutes. USF didn't make a field goal for the final 6:12 but stayed ahead as the Green Wave made just one of its final nine field goal attempts. Septe helped USF seal the victory in the final minute with a free throw to give USF a four-point edge. 

Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the shorthanded Bulls grinding out a victory to get back on the winning track:
"It's a good win. These guys have been through a lot and we move on. We move forward to this weekend… It was important. I thought a couple of those shots down the stretch were huge."
 
Key Stats
27-16 – USF's rebounding advantage in the second half, including an 8-3 edge in offensive boards.
21-for-75 – The Bulls' defense was dominant as Tulane shot just 28 percent from the field.
1-for-9 – Tulane's success rate from the field down the final stretch. The Green Wave made only three field goals in the final 5:16.

Notable

• USF improved to 20-19 in its all-time series with Tulane. The Bulls have won all 11 matchups with the Green Wave since Tulane joined the American Athletic Conference in 2014-15.
• USF defeated Tulane, 73-46, in the programs' first meeting of the season at the Yuengling Center on Jan. 19 and completed the season sweep tonight. 
• The Bulls' defense allowed an average of 45.5 points in two games against Tulane this season.
• USF is without star Kitija Laksa (knee), Beatriz Jordao (leg) and Silvia Serrat (knee) for the season. The Bulls also have been without Laura Ferreira (illness) for the past seven games.
• Luize Septe posted seven points and seven rebounds while playing a full 40 minutes. Tamara Henshaw and Enna Pehadzic both logged in 35 minutes while Sydni Harvey played 32 minutes.
• All seven Bulls in action Wednesday night scored points. Only two of USF's seven players were on the floor for less than 20 minutes.

Up Next
USF returns to the Yuengling Center to host Houston on Sunday at 2 p.m. (TV: ESPN2). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
 
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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.