USF dominates FAU in bounce back victory

Junior forward Carla Brito celebrates after making a three pointer against FAU on Saturday. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

As the Yuengling Center crowd erupted into cheers, two early threes from junior forward Carla Brito painted the picture of what would turn out to be a dominant 85-59 Bulls victory over FAU on Saturday. 

The 26-point win ties the Bulls’ (12-8, 5-2 AAC) largest in-conference victory this season, alongside a Jan. 8 matchup against Wichita State in which the Bulls won 72-46.

USF came out swinging early against FAU (9-10, 1-5 AAC), knocking down four three-pointers in the first half. The Bulls finished the game with nine three-pointers made. 

While five threes came from a usual suspect, graduate guard Sammie Puisis, two came from Brito in an unexpected barrage. Brito has shot 20 three-pointers all season, making only five. 

“I thought Carla Brito had a really good game,” head coach Jose Fernandez said after the game. “It was a good bounce back.” 

The Bulls also dominated the inside, scoring 24 of their 38 first half points in the paint.  

Early heroics came across the board for the Bulls as they forced eight turnovers in the first half.

A steal by Puisis just 15 seconds into the second half set up a three-pointer by sophomore guard Vittoria Blasigh.

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Nevertheless, the hero of the game for the Bulls was Brito. Brito scored 14 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, marking her season high in rebounds.

The win was her fourth double-double this season, with the others coming against UAB, Temple and Louisville. Brito was four assists away from her first career triple-double. 

The Bulls’ big win was fueled by their dominance on the glass. USF racked up 41 rebounds throughout the game 

Fourteen of those rebounds came on the offensive side of the ball, leading to 22 second chance points. 

“If you’re not shooting the ball well from the perimeter or getting to the freethrow line, you’ve got to manufacture points in a different way,” Fernandez said.

Luckily for the Bulls, on top of their points in the paint, they shot 50% from beyond the arc. USF got to the free throw line too, making 16 of their 18 attempts.

Steals were also a major factor in the Bulls’ victory, taking the ball from the Owls 13 times. USF turned those forced turnovers into points. 

“[We] scored 26 points off 18 turnovers,” Fernandez said. “That’s a good number.”

Fernandez said the turnovers created an ability to expand on their defensive strategy.

After a Brito steal, senior forward L’or Mputu found Puisis for a three to put the Bulls up by 15 with four minutes left in the third. 

From there, USF poured it on, leading by as much as 27 late in the fourth quarter. 

As time winded down, the Bulls dribbled the clock out. The win pushed the Bulls back into the win column after a heartbreaker on Jan. 14 against UAB in which they lost 62-61.

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Fernandez stressed the importance of winning in conference home games. 

“Today was a win you had to get,” Fernandez said. “You’ve got to protect your home floor in conference play.” 

The Bulls travel to Tulane at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to take on the Green Wave in a fight for fourth place in the AAC. The game will be available on ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited.