TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Courtney Williams had 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists to help No. 18 South Florida beat Butler 87-77 on Wednesday night.
Laura Ferreira hit a 3-pointer with 8:15 left in the third quarter to give South Florida its first lead since 2-0. The Bulls outscored Butler 23-15 in the decisive quarter.
Williams was 12 of 24 from the field for South Florida (3-1) and Alisia Jenkins had 14 points and 12 rebounds. The duo combined to score 13 of USF's 15 second-quarter points.
Sydney Buck made six 3-pointers and paced Butler (1-2) with a season-high 22 points. The Bulldogs were 12 of 27 from 3-point range.
Butler made four 3-pointers in the first quarter to help build a 26-19 lead. The Bulldogs made two more at the start of the second for a 34-21 lead but went scoreless for six-plus minutes and South Florida trimmed its deficit to 36-34 at halftime.
