Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Kendall Bulkiewicz
The University of South Florida women’s basketball squad fought hard to clinch the win on Nov. 17, beating The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) 57-45.
The atmosphere in which they won the game made it an extra special 59th birthday of head coach Jose Fernandez, who recently also celebrated his 25th anniversary at USF.
Decorations adorned the arena in celebration of Fernandez. A cake and cupcakes were distributed to the students in attendance for a sweet treat. The fans mixed with players to celebrate the legendary coach who has guided the team to its powerhouse status in women’s basketball.
On the court, the Bulls had to get through a little adversity, playing with unusual line-ups because of foul trouble and with guard Romi Levy injured from early in the previous game against Vanderbilt. Still, USF’s defense had been sound, as very few scoring chances were allowed against UTRGV.
“Obviously, it was a different scenario without Romi, as we saw in the Vanderbilt game when she got injured in the first few minutes,” Coach Fernandez said. “Today, we had to use some unconventional lineups due to foul trouble. It’s unlike us to commit 20 or 21 fouls — that’s just not how we usually play.”
USF came out with a strong performance, as forward Ines Piper led the Bulls with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Guard Mama Dembele added some good numbers as well with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. UTRGV was held to 45 points from the USF defense.
Despite foul trouble, the Bulls limited the scoring threats of UTRGV. USF committed 21 fouls, which is extremely uncharacteristic of this team, but its defense was pretty solid as UTRGV only made 6 three-pointers in the process.
Guard Sophia Zufelt was key off the bench for UTRGV, contributing 7 points, including a crucial 3-pointer with minutes remaining in the game. Other key contributors included USF guard Raina Tomasicka, who added 5 points, and UTRGV guard Janai Coleman, who registered 3 assists.
Even with some shooting difficulties, USF’s defense was strong, limiting UTRGV to just six made threes, well below its average of 10-11 per game. The Bulls would eventually use that solidity to seal a 57-45 win.
The Bulls will return to the Yuengling Center on Nov. 20, as they’ll host Jacksonville at 7 p.m. Students can watch at home via ESPN+ or can claim their student tickets through this link.
