Junior forward Romi Levy attempts a jump shot over an East Carolina Pirate defender.
Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Jorden Pompey
Despite shooting 21% from the field in the first half, the University of South Florida Bulls turned it around to defeat the East Carolina University Pirates 54-40 at the Yuengling Center on Jan. 28.
The AAC Honor Roll junior forward Romi Levy led the ladies with 21 points and her fourth 20-plus point performance this season. Levy also led the team in three-pointers made with three.
“The game was just flowing, I didn’t think the coach was going to take me out. We have good chemistry on the floor so I was just ready to give it all on the court today,” Levy said.
Losing the previous three games, the Bulls have released some pressure off of their chest.
“We’ve been working really really hard this week to make sure we don’t lose this game so I think we’re all in a mental state that there’s no way that we’re going to lose. We were working really hard and we came together and nobody’s given up on nobody and we’re still family so,” Levy said.
Head coach Jose Fernandez described the game as there were two different types of halves. Fernandez went on to give East Carolina props for keeping the Bulls off balance to cause the 7-33 shooting performance.
East Carolina graduate guard Danae McNeal had 20 points of the Pirates’ 26 points at the end of halftime. The only Pirate to score double digits.
“Outside of the first possession where the live ball turnover was where McNeal scored, I thought we did a much better job on her in the second half. She was on pace to score 40 if we didn’t do something different things,” Fernandez said.
The second half was a complete turnaround as the Bulls shooting improved to 53% from the field and the defense forced the Pirates to shoot 26% from the field for the game.
With 10 games left in the season, sights are still on making it to the big dance in March. USF is ninth is the American Athletic Conference but is only three games first place.
USF hopes to keep the momentum for the start of their short road trip to Memphis University and the University of Alabama Birmingham before returning to the Yuengling Center to face Rice on Feb. 7.
