USF Women's Basketball

The Bulls trailed by one after the first quarter, but the Volunteers took control with a 29-9 run before halftime to easily advance in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

The Bulls will travel to Columbus, Ohio, as a No. 12 seed to face the fifth-seeded Volunteers on Friday as part of the Birmingham 1 region. The NCAA Women's Final Four is slated for April 4-6 in Tampa.

The Bulls defeated Rice 69-62 in the conference title game, earning an automatic bid to the NCAAs. The Women's Final Four is April 4-6 at Amalie Arena.

South Florida (27-7) entered looking for its first berth in the Sweet 16, but after a feisty start, couldn't hang with the Gamecocks.

The Bulls (27-6) rallied several times, including from 47-36 down in regulation to tie their mark for wins in a season.

If USF wins, they'll likely face undefeated, defending national champion South Carolina.

USF twice cut the deficit to nine in the second half, but they couldn’t get any closer.

USF received a ninth seed in the Greensboro region and will play the eighth seed University of Miami in Columbia, SC, Friday.

Fernandez was elevated from recruiting coordinator to head coach in November 2000 after just months at USF.

The Bulls take on Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Toronto Raptors, who will start the NBA season at Tampa's Amalie Arena, along with the Orlando Magic and the USF Bulls basketball teams, will all allow a limited number of fans into their games.

Fans will not be permitted to the Yuengling Center for the start of the USF basketball seasons, and officials say they will re-evaluate at a later date.