USF Women’s Basketball Team Falls to Tennessee in NCAA Tournament
Geographically, it might be the nation’s most diverse roster. Eleven different countries are represented on the USF women’s team, with 11 different languages spoken. Some Bulls are bilingual, some trilingual.
But by Friday night’s second quarter against Tennessee, many of those fluent tongues appeared to be dragging.
Tennessee Overwhelms USF
Facing a blue-blood program buoyed by a high-octane transfusion from a new coach, the 12th-seeded Bulls (23-11) were left exhausted and exposed by Tennessee (23-9). UT employed depth, ruthless full-court pressure and 3-point proficiency to simply overwhelm USF, 101-66, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to them,” said Bulls coach Jose Fernandez, whose team won three games in as many nights last week to capture the American Athletic Conference tournament and earn an automatic NCAA bid.
Impressive Display by Tennessee
The Bulls panted their way to a painful orientation of what the new-look Tennessee has shown the SEC all winter. Tennessee entered Value City Arena with the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense and a school-record 957 3-point attempts.
Graduate Student Shines for USF
USF’s lone sparkle on the stat sheet came from graduate student Sammie Puisis, who scored 15 of her game-high 28 points in the first quarter against Tennessee. She finished with seven rebounds and hit 5 of 10 3-point tries.
“This year, it was really special,” Puisis said. “I’m just so glad I was able to come back because some people have tough injuries and it kind of takes them out of it. So I’m just really grateful for my teammates and coaches and getting to play on a big stage like this again.”
Tennessee’s Dominant Performance
Tennessee finished 16-of-37 (43.2%) from long range, setting a program record for made 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament contest.
Conclusion
Despite a valiant effort, the USF women’s basketball team fell to Tennessee in a dominant performance by the Volunteers. Graduate student Sammie Puisis shined for the Bulls, but Tennessee’s depth and shooting proved too much to overcome.
FAQs
Q: How many countries are represented on the USF women’s team?
A: Eleven different countries are represented on the team.
Q: Who was the top scorer for USF in the game against Tennessee?
A: Graduate student Sammie Puisis scored a game-high 28 points.
