For the first time in the program’s history, the USF women’s basketball team was granted home court for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament and were given their highest seeding to start March Madness.
The No. 6 seeded Bulls embarked on their journey to a national championship Saturday night with a 73-64 victory over the 11th-seed LSU Tigers in the first round of the tournament.
The Bulls had the crowd on their side as the Sun Dome experienced its most electric night of the 2014-2015 season.
From the opening minute of the game, every possession had the urgency of a tie game with under a minute to go.
The crowd erupted on every scored point and shared their disappointment for every missed foul call while both teams hussled back-and-forth, scrapping for any chance at the ball.
“Anytime you can get the crowd behind you, it’s awesome,” USF head coach Jose Fernandez said. “It’s a great atmosphere.”
LSU did not attempt a free throw until 11 minutes into the game, whereas the Bulls had already hit 11-of-14 from the line, and 16-for-20 by the end of the first half while holding a 38-32 lead.
“They were getting the calls and they were making their free throws,” LSU guard Raigyne Moncrief said. “It didn’t disrupt us, but that kind of helped them out a lot.”
Opening the second half, Laura Ferreira made back-to-back three point shots, giving the Bulls a more comfortable lead.
“I thought the roof on this place was going to go off,” Fernandez said.
Junior guard Courtney Williams scored 17 points and snagged 12 rebounds setting the school record with the most points in a single season (683).
“That’s exciting,” Williams said. “I didn’t think I was breaking a record at the moment. I was thinking, ‘Okay, I’m open. Let me shoot this three.”
Coming off the bench for center Katelyn Weber was freshman Maria Jespersen, who made all five of her shots, scoring 11 points during her 25 minutes of play.
“It’s probably a feeling I’ll never forget,” Jespersen said. “I have never in my life tried to play a game with so many people supporting you.”
Advancing to the round of 32 teams, the Bulls must now turn their focus to the No. 3 seeded Louisville Cardinals Monday night at 9 p.m. in hopes of making the Sweet 16.
Two years ago, the Bulls found themselves in a similar situation and fell short by losing to California 82-78 in overtime.
“There’s not going to be much that we’re going to change in the things that got us here,” Fernandez said. “It’s a great opportunity for both teams because, now, you need to move onto the next round or your season is over.”
