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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Junior Alisia Jenkins paced No. 2 seed USF in a 79-51 win over No. 7 seed Memphis in quarterfinal action of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Jenkins had 23 points and 14 rebounds in the victory, inching closer to the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound plateaus in the process. The native of Statesboro, Georgia, will enter Sunday’s contest with 939 career points and 931 rebounds. Jenkins was 7-of-9 from the floor and 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. The double-double was the 22
nd in 31 games this season for Jenkins.
Senior Tamara Taylor added 15 points for USF, which improved to 25-6 on the year. Junior Ariel Hearn had 17 points to lead Memphis, while freshman Amber Holmes added 10.
The Bulls led from wire to wire, opening up the game on a 6-0 stretch over the contest’s first 1:43. The Bulls would lead by as much as 24 in the opening stanza and took a 42-19 lead into the locker room. USF outrebounded Memphis 31-10 in the first half while grabbing 14 offensive boards.
The advantage would grow to as large as 36 points twice in the second half, the latter time on a 3-pointer by freshman Maria Jespersen with 9:56 remaining to give USF a 65-29 cushion.
The Bulls shot 54.2-percent (13-for-24) in the second half. The game marked the eighth time this season USF tallied 50 or more rebounds in a contest, and the third while shooting 45-percent or higher from the floor.
With the win, USF advances to play the winner of No. 3 Tulsa and No. 6 Tulane in Sunday’s second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.