Poor shooting dooms USF women’s basketball in loss versus UAB

Bulls junior forward Carla Brito shoots a free throw in Tuesday’s loss versus UAB. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

USF women’s basketball couldn’t escape the Yuengling Center with a win on Tuesday night, dropping a close 62-61 game versus UAB.

Related: USF women’s basketball drops two games in Cayman Islands tournament

Across most of the stat sheet, the Bulls (11-8, 4-2 AAC) dominated the Blazers. South Florida finished with more assists, steals and second-chance points. 

Women’s basketball head coach Jose Fernandez said one stat in particular is what sunk the team.

“You look and say, ‘How’d you lose?’ Well, they shot 43% and we shot 32%,” Fernandez said.

After building an early 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Bulls proceeded to struggle to score the basketball. The double-digit advantage shrank to just one by halftime.

When the third quarter began, so did the USF collapse. The team’s offense continued to suffer, spearheaded by graduate Sammie Puisis’ worst shooting game as a college athlete.

The Bulls leading scorer this season shot 1-17 from the field. The 5% mark is the worst of her collegiate career when attempting at least 10 shots.

Despite the shooting woes, USF was in position to win the game in the closing seconds. A go-ahead bucket by graduate forward Ines Piper put South Florida up one with 46 seconds left.

Puisis had a chance to extend the lead on the ensuing possession, missing off the side of the rim. When asked about the shot, Fernandez sat in silence before declining to comment.

The Bulls couldn’t hold the lead, surrendering a game winning shot to sophomore Blazers forward Jade Weathersby with five seconds left.  

With Puisis virtually a no-show on offense, South Florida got its scoring production from sophomore guard Vittoria Blasigh and junior forward Carla Brito. The two combined for 39 points in the loss.

Brito said the team is putting the tough game behind them and focusing on preparing for the future.

“We can’t do anything about what happened tonight,” Brito said. “We have an off day tomorrow, but the next day we’re going to come in here, try our best, and keep practicing hard.”

The loss versus UAB is the Bulls’ second in the American Athletic Conference. Fernandez said the team has to capitalize on its opportunities in their quest to the NCAA tournament.

“The thing you think about all the time is winning the conference championship,” Fernandez said. “By losing at home, you don’t have many opportunities to advance, so the at-large bid is going to be very difficult.”

The Bulls will face Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.