Late in the third quarter Sunday afternoon, things weren’t looking great for the USF women’s basketball team.
The Bulls were on the road and trailed Rice by eight points. Shots weren’t falling, and every time USF would get close, the Owls seemed to steady themselves and maintain the lead.
Worried?
No need.
The Bulls scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter, and after Sammie Puisis hit a 3-pointer with 7:46 left to play, USF never trailed again. The Bulls left with a 74-64 victory to open their American Athletic Conference schedule.
“We've played really good basketball teams, so our guys weren't fazed when we were down going into the fourth quarter,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “That's why you play the (non-conference) schedule we played.
“We needed to speed them up and our full-court pressure helped. And then we got out in transition.”
The result was a 24-8 USF blitz in the final period against the Owls, who were the preseason pick to finish second in the AAC behind the top-seeded Bulls.
The Bulls put four players in double figures, led by Puisis, who had 23 points for the second consecutive game.
And yes, it validated the non-conference schedule that Fernandez put together. The Bulls played four teams currently ranked in the top 14 in the country. It was designed to get them ready for games like this. To get a road win over Rice, which beat USF twice last season, bodes well for what’s ahead.
Conference games will come at USF quickly now, starting with Wednesday at home against Charlotte. That’s the first of five conference games in 14 days for USF, including a January 11 trip to face North Texas. The Mean Green was tied with Rice for second in the preseason AAC poll.
The Bulls owe Charlotte a little payback, too. The 49ers knocked off USF 66-61 in overtime last season to open AAC play.