No. 17 USF Women’s Basketball Drops Two Of Three At U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam

After falling to Kentucky 85-63 on Thursday and North Carolina 71-69 on Friday, the No. 17 USF women’s basketball team salvaged a tough Power-Five weekend slate at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise with a 60-56 victory over UCLA on Saturday.

In the tournament opener on Thanksgiving Day, freshman Sydni Harvey finished with 16 points and knocked down four three-balls but the Wildcats full court pressure forced the Bulls into 20 turnovers.

Senior Laura Ferreira was ice cold, shooting 2-of-13 from the floor and 0-of-6 from long range.

Kentucky outscored USF 24-8 in the second quarter to make it a 44-28 halftime deficit and the Bulls couldn’t recover.

Friday, the Bulls trailed the Tar Heels 35-31 at halftime before storming back with a 14-4 run to open the third quarter.

Three Bulls scored in double figures for the sixth consecutive game, including Harvey with 17 points and fellow freshman Beatriz Jordao with 18 points but after falling behind by 12 in the final quarter, USF couldn’t complete the comeback.

Saturday afternoon, the Bulls put together their most impressive performance of the weekend, knocking off UCLA, an Elite Eight NCAA Tournament team from last season.

Harvey was at it again, scoring a career-high 19 points and grabbing three rebounds to earn Island Division Tournament All-Star Team honors.

Ferreira added 14 points and five rebounds, while Alyssa Rader knocked down two crucial three-pointers in the second half.

The Bulls (5-2) open up a four-game homestand on Friday night, hosting New Hampshire at the Yuengling Center.