USF women’s basketball opened the competition with a 59-52 defeat against Mississippi State.

With the Cayman Islands Classic wrapping up on Saturday, head coach Jose Fernandez and his team will return home with two more defeats to reflect on.

The Bulls concluded their time in the Caribbean without a win, falling to Mississippi State and No. 17 TCU. 

The Bulls suffered defeats against giants like No. 2 UConn, No. 24 Louisville and Vanderbilt in November. The weekend’s losses against Mississippi State and TCU add on to South Florida’s disappointing performances against non-conference opponents this season.

During an October press conference, Fernandez recognized the challenges of South Florida’s demanding non-conference schedule.

“You can schedule those games, and if you don’t play well, those can hurt you as well,” Fernandez said.

Both Mississippi State and TCU remain undefeated with 8-0 overall records and the Bulls now hold a 4-5 record.

A close game against the Bulldogs

USF opened the tournament with a matchup against Mississippi State on Friday, ultimately falling 59-52. 

Despite the loss, the Bulls led in key stats. 

Graduate guard Sammie Puisis topped the scoring charts with 22 points, while fellow graduate guard Mama Dembele led in assists with seven, the most in the game.

Related: USF’s Jose Fernandez sets record, Puisis shines in women’s basketball win

USF’s main shortcoming was capitalizing on turnovers. Despite comparable turnover numbers, the Bulls struggled to convert them into points. Mississippi State converted 15 USF turnovers into 19 points, while USF managed only four points from 11 turnovers.

Mississippi State also had a higher field goal percentage and free throw percentage than USF.

USF collapses against the Horned Frogs

South Florida’s second and final game of the contest took place the next day against TCU. 

The Bulls fell 87-46 against the Horned Frogs in a disappointing one-sided defeat.

TCU guard Hailey Van Lith dominated the game with 23 points and 8 assists.

 USF’s inability to capitalize on points from turnovers persisted in this matchup. Both teams conceded 12 turnovers, but TCU managed to score 19 points from USF’s faults. 

South Florida, on the other hand, was only able to secure eight points.

USF also failed to convert field goal and free throw attempts as efficiently as TCU. The Bulls managed to convert only 33% of field goal attempts, compared to TCU who converted 52%.

TCU also outshot USF on the free throw line, sinking 86.7% of shots compared to the Bulls’ 75%.

Despite the disappointing campaign in the Cayman Islands, Fernandez believes that taking a trip like this abroad would make a positive impact on his team nevertheless.

“This is the reason why you take these trips, for team camaraderie, for them to enjoy themselves outside of the country, for them to get through distractions,” Fernandez said in a press conference on Nov. 19.

Related: USF women’s basketball sinks Jacksonville

The Bulls have now lost three straight, and will look to return to winning ways as they return to the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center. 

The Bulls will face Merrimack at 11 a.m. Dec. 5. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.