WF 78, USF 63

As USF struggled to find its rhythm during its second-round Women’s NIT game against Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons never lost theirs.

The USF women’s basketball team, fresh off its first postseason win in school history, ended its season with a 78-63 loss at Wake Forest (17-14) on Monday.

If the Bulls had won, they would have been the first USF basketball team — men’s or women’s — to win two postseason games in the same season.

Plagued by untimely missed free-throws , and fouls, the Bulls trailed by double digits for most of the second half.

Sophomore Rachael Sheats fouled out and Jessica Dickson missed a big chunk of the second half after committing her fourth foul midway through the period.

Also plaguing the Bulls was forward Erin Ferrell, who bullied the Bulls with 18 points and 20 rebounds.

For USF, senior point guard Anedra Gilmore led with 16 points. Teammates Dickson and Nalini Miller each added 14 for the Bulls (21-11), who finish the season with the most wins in school history.

The Bulls led by as many as seven early in the first half, but couldn’t withstand a late Demon Deacon run and trailed by 11 at the break. Wake Forest outrebounded USF 47-35 and shot 50 percent from the field.

Despite committing only eight turnovers and outscoring the Demon Deacons 14-2 on fast break points and 12-9 on second chance points, USF struggled shooting, especially in the second half.

After shooting 47 percent in the first half, the Bulls connected on just 8-of-32 shots in the second as Wake Forest pulled away for good.

USF made only two three-pointers and hit just 56.6 percent of its free throw attempts.

The loss was the last game for USF seniors Gilmore, Alana Tanksley and Tristen Webb.