USF women struggled at times but got the 'W' at FAU, and that's all that matters

Next game: USF (18-8, 11-2) at Charlotte (8-16, 3-10)

When: Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 p.m.

Media: ESPN+ and Bulls Unlimited

The USF women’s basketball team started strong and finished strong Saturday afternoon at Florida Atlantic.

The middle of the game was a different story for the Bulls, but it didn’t matter as they pulled away from the Owls 74-62 for an American Athletic Conference road win.

Getting the “W” is all that matters at this point of the season, and the Bulls seemed on their way to a breeze when they led 22-9 after the first quarter. Sammie Puisis blitzed the Owls with four three-pointers in that quarter en route to a game-high 23 points.

The Owls actually outscored USF over the next two quarters and trailed by just two points with 7:40 left in the game. The Bulls settled down from there, and Puisis applied the dagger with 1:49 left with her seventh three-pointer of the game.

"They threw different defenses at us, different looks. They shot the ball great and kept them in the game, and they played hard. But I'm really proud of my team. We really moved the ball, found open people in the zone, and we were able to knock down shots," Puisis said in a post-game TV interview interview.

Coach Jose (Fernandez) does a great job setting up our offense. (Point guard) Mama (Dembele) controls it. And my teammates do an awesome job setting screens and finding me in open areas, so all credit to them."

Carla Brito was outstanding for USF with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. She played all 40 minutes.

It stretched USF’s winning streak to seven games and kept the Bulls within one game of conference leader UTSA.

The Bulls have road games at Charlotte and Tulsa and home games against Memphis and East Carolina before the AAC tournament. The AAC hasn’t announced the status of USF’s scheduled game at Tulane on January 22, which was postponed.

USF trailed UTSA by one game in the loss column but gave the Roadrunners their only conference setback. If UTSA stumbles in any of its remaining games and the Bulls run the table, USF would own the tie-breaker.

The Bulls haven’t lost since January 14, when UAB hung a potentially damaging 62-61 loss on them at the Yuengling Center.

It’s almost certain USF’s only route to the NCAA tournament will be to win the conference tournament. The Bulls entered the game ranked 67th in the NET ratings, which is a key metric for determining seeding and at-large bids.

While that ranking is the highest in the AAC, the conference’s overall rating is mediocre. So, even when the Bulls win a conference game, it doesn’t necessarily help their chances. That loss to UAB is the big red stain on their shirt at this point.