A USF women's basketball season of astounding misfortune hasn't come without a milestone.
Behind 6-foot-2 sophomore Shae Leverett’s double-double (20 points, 18 rebounds), the Bulls (15-12, 6-7 AAC) topped Wichita State, 55-46, Saturday night at the Yuengling Center, giving 19th-year coach Jose Fernandez his 350th career victory.
Fernandez, who had lost three starters to season-ending injuries by early January, had only eight players available against the Shockers. None of the starters Saturday evening started USF’s season opener.
Yet USF suddenly has won three in a row. One more triumph assures the Bulls of a winning regular season.
“Really proud of the group,” Fernandez, 350-255 as Bulls coach, said on USF’s official radio broadcast. “We forget we’re playing with our bench.”
Leverett posted career-bests in points and rebounds for the Bulls, who shot only 2-for-18 from 3-point range but compensated by topping Wichita State 22-12 on the offensive glass.