USF women's hoops make big early lead hold up and take 57-45 win over UT Rio Grande

USF's Sammie Puisis, shown here against UConn, led the Bulls with 17 points Sunday in a win over UT Rio Grande
USF's Sammie Puisis, shown here against UConn, led the Bulls with 17 points Sunday in a win over UT Rio Grande / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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The USF women’s basketball team took a big early lead on visiting UT Rio Grande on Sunday afternoon and made it hold up in a 57-45 win at the Yuengling Center.

It wasn’t an impressive rout for 40 minutes because the Bulls let a lesser opponent hang around after the first quarter. However, it broke a two-game losing streak for the Bulls, who improved to 3-2 overall.  They are back in action on Wednesday night with a home game against Jacksonville.

Sammie Puisis led USF with 17 points, including 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. Innis Piper added 15. USF played without preseason American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Romi Levy, who left the game Thursday against Vanderbilt with a bloody nose and did not return.

She watched the game from the bench with her teammates.

USF jumped in front 26-12 after one quarter and still led 53-35 after Piper’s layup with 9:33 left in the game. The Bulls scored only four more points the rest of the way, but it was more than enough to secure the win.

Still, there is much to work on.

“It's very uncharacteristic for us to commit 21 fouls. That's just not us,” Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said.

His tone was that of a coach who expected to win and came away with just that, but still saw so much work that needs be done.

Well, it is November, and it can be a struggle for even a team with great potential to put two solid halves together.

“ I'm just not happy on how we closed. We have not done a good job at UConn, closing the second quarter. Vanderbilt. closing the second quarter. You are down to UConn six (points) coming out of a timeout. Draw. We get fouled. You make your two free throws and it's a four-point game. Well, you miss your two free throws.

“They go on a 14-2 run, and we're down 18. It was a six-point game at the media (timeout). The same thing against Vanderbilt. It's a two-point game. You're at the media, we go into the locker room down eight.”

That’s what these early games are for.

USF had a massive roster overhaul after last season, and no coach will wave a magic wand and instantly create a Final Four contender. It takes time.

The pieces are there for USF to be very good.

Inhale. Exhale.

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