The new era of USF women's basketball looked a lot like the previous era as the Bulls rolled at the Yunengling Center to a dominating 81-56 win over FIU.
The one noteable exception: For the first time in 9,120 days, there was a new voice on the bench for the Bulls. Well, a new/old/familiar voice. It was the first game for interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter, who was elevated to the top job after Jose Fernandez left for the Dallas Wings of the WNBA after 25 years as USF's head coach.
The Bulls, named the preseason favorites in the American Conference, wasted no time in imposing their superiority over the visiting Panthers., They led 13-0 with 6:32 left in the first quarter. By halftime it was 49-27, and, well, that was that.
"We played hard and we competed," Woods-Baxter told Bulls Unlimited after the game. "We missed a lot of wide open shots."
USF accomplished this without Carla Brito, the preseason American Conference Player of the Year, who was sidelined but didn't appear to be seriously injured. L`or Mputu was outstanding, scoring 120 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Before the game, the Bulls celebrated their American Conference tournament championship from lasts season. Their performance in this game showed that it doesn't look like a dropoff as the new season begins,
Champs, forever. 🏆@USFWBB | @American_Conf pic.twitter.com/bk8QKdSjZW
— USF Athletics (@USFAthletics) November 3, 2025
USF returns to action on November 7 at home against Long Island.