No. 25 Bulls continue historic run
Courtney Williams is averaging 20.2 points per game as USF cracks the AP top 25. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
No one can deny that this year’s USF women’s basketball team is one for the record books.
With the stellar performance led by juniors Courtney Williams and Alisia Jenkins, the Bulls enter tonight’s game against SMU second in the AAC and on the fast track for the NCAA Tournament.
Already teetering in and out of the USA Today Coaches Poll rankings, USF finally broke the AP Poll seal for the first time in program history Monday, gathering 56 votes to reach No. 25.
“It’s great for our players and our program to get that national recognition,” coach Jose Fernandez said. “It gets the USF brand out in the basketball world.”
Aside from this honor for the university, Williams received yet another accolade after being named AAC Player of the Week. The talented guard averaged 23 points, four rebounds and 3.5 assists last week against UCF and Cincinnati, both ending in wins for the Bulls.
Williams has also scored 20 or more points in eight straight games — currently the longest streak in the nation.
Williams currently leads the conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game and has scored in double-digits in 31 of the last 32 games.
The Bulls are currently riding a five-game winning streak with 13 wins in their last 14 outings. The only blemish in that run was a loss to defending national champion UConn on the road. This year’s team is shaping up to be the fastest to reach 20 wins in program history if they can beat SMU (5-17, 1-10) on Tuesday.
“This group only has two seniors,” Fernandez said. “The team’s success shows the future of our program and those that we’re recruiting year after year.”
No. 25 USF (19-4, 10-1) is in Dallas to take on SMU tonight at 8 before taking on East Carolina 2 p.m. Sunday.
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