USF women’s basketball’s season has come to an end after a 101-66 route by Tennessee on Friday.

Two of the Bulls’ (23-11, 13-4 AAC) strengths this season — defense and ball security — were their weakest links in the 35-point loss.

Related: USF looks to upset powerhouse Tennessee in first round of March Madness

USF women’s basketball head coach Jose Fernandez said the game got away from the team quickly in the early stages.

“The first quarter was probably really fun to watch on TV,” Fernandez said. “But you got to hand it to Tennessee, they shot the ball really well.”

The Bulls battled the Lady Volunteers closely in the first quarter, trailing by just one at the period’s end. 

However, the Bulls turned the ball over 10 times, a recurring theme throughout the game.

Struggling to break Tennessee’s full-court press, the Bulls frequently failed to advance the ball after inbounding. 

Tennessee’s relentless defense forced 24 USF turnovers, a season high for South Florida – a team that finished in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) with the fewest turnovers this season.

Fernandez credited the conditioning levels of Tennessee for its intense play. He said the Lady Volunteers can defeat anyone if they play like this consistently. 

“If you’re going to play that way for 94 feet and shoot the ball as well as they did, this is a night that they’ll beat a lot of teams,” Fernandez said. 

The Lady Volunteers also shredded South Florida’s defense, a unit which finished second in the AAC for the stat this year.

Tennessee made 16 3-pointers versus the Bulls, an NCAA tournament record for the Lady Volunteers. The 101 points scored by Tennessee were the most allowed by USF this season.

Despite Tennessee lighting up the scoreboard, USF’s graduate guard Sammie Puisis led the match in scoring. In her final game as a collegiate athlete, she poured in 28 points, including five 3-pointers.

Puisis played every game for the Bulls this season, after missing all but one game in 2023-24 due to a knee injury. In between tears in the post game press conference, Puisis said she cherished the opportunity to play again.

“I’m so glad I was able to come back, because some people have injuries and it takes them out of it,” Puisis said. “I’m just really grateful for my teammates, my coaches and getting to play on a big stage like this again.”

Puisis answered just one question in the post game, as the emotional scene continued with graduate guard Mama Dembele. The former Missouri guard was recruited to play her final season in Tampa Bay by Fernandez.

Like Puisis, Dembele fought through tears as she said Fernandez was supportive of her during her time at USF.

“He just trusted me, even when I was going through my lows,” Dembele said. “He’s always been that tough love parents give you, but you always appreciate it.”

Along with Puisis, Dembele, senior forward Romi Levy and graduate forward Ines Piper have played their last games in a Bulls uniform. 

Fernandez said the team has talent returning, but will look to the portal to help them compete next season.