USF women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez knew there would be growing pains when he put together the toughest non-conference schedule in the team’s history.
Thursday’s 62-49 loss to Vanderbilt was one of those nights.
The Bulls committed 23 turnovers, leading to 19 points for the Commodores. They also were just 4-of-18 on 3-pointers. Also, team leader and American Athletic Conference preseason Player of the Year Romi Levy left with a bloody nose after colliding with teammate L’or Mputu just six minutes into the game.
She did not return but is expected to be ok.
It was not how Fernandez wanted to celebrate after a pre-game ceremony honoring his 25 years as USF’s head coach.
“I want to give Vandy a lot of credit. They are a very well-coached basketball team. There's a reason why they were an NCAA tournament team. They're going to be back in the NCAA tournament this year,” he said.
“They're good. I thought their shot selection was very good, and they were really patient about where they wanted to get the ball to.”
It was USF’s second straight loss after opening with two wins. However, considering that the first loss was to 2nd-ranked UConn, consider this tough stretch a learning experience for a team that experienced a major roster overhaul after last season.
“So, there’s no reason to panic. I'm not panicked. I think we got the right people in the locker room. I think we got the right people in the program. We're gonna get ready for UTRGV (Texas Rio Grande Valley), and then you got Jacksonville, and then you got Louisville, and then you got the Cayman Islands,” Fernandez said.
“I scheduled this way for a reason. We were gonna go through adversity in November and December with seven newcomers to this team, and everything we're going through now. The level of competition we're playing is geared to us being really, really good in January.”
That’s when conference play begins. The Bulls are the preseason pick to win the AAC and move on to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls host UTRGV on Sunday at 2 p.m.
“Sometimes you learn a lot from losses,” Fernandez said. “You learn what to work on and move on. And we will.”