Williams leads No. 21 South Florida women past Tulsa, 72-66

Feb 24, 2016, 10:40 pm

TULSA, Okla. -- Courtney Williams scored 33, and Laura Ferreira added 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting to help the No. 21 South Florida women beat Tulsa 72-66 Wednesday night to secure a first-round bye in the American Athletic Conference tournament, which begins March 4.

Maria Jespersen had a career-high 13 rebounds and Alisia Jenkins grabbed nine boards for South Florida.

A jumper by Williams sparked a 10-0 run that gave South Florida (20-7, 13-3 American Athletic Conference) a 45-36 lead with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

Ashley Clark converted a 3-point play that pulled Tulsa (10-18, 7-10) within four about 90 seconds later, but the Bulls answered with a 15-4 spurt that made it 60-45 with six minutes to play.

The Golden Hurricane scored eight in a row to pull within 64-58 with 2:34 left, but would get no closer.

Clark led Tulsa with 26 points and nine rebounds. Jordyn Holmes scored 15 and Erika Wakefield 10.