USF never really had a chance Wednesday night.
Wake Forest (2-0) jumped out to a 24-0 lead midway through the first half en route to a 62-45 victory at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.
The Bulls didn’t score their first points until senior guard Janae Stokes connected for a three-pointer 12 minutes into the game.
“We are going through some growing pains right now,” said Bulls coach Jose Fernandez. “We just have a lot of girls playing positions they aren’t used to, and the lack of experience is hurting us.”
Despite the setback, senior center Jessica Lawson had a productive evening for USF, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Stokes was the only other Bull to score in double figures, totaling 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field.
Junior forward Brittany Waters had a game-high 21 points for Wake Forest, going 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
Fernandez said his team needs to improve as the early part of the season progresses.
“We have an array of things we need to work on,” he said. “Specifically, we have to do a much better job of taking care of the ball and rebounding. We have another short turnaround with a game on Saturday but our girls will be ready.”
The Bulls (1-2) host North Florida (0-2) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Sun Dome.
