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Second Quarter Dooms USF Women’s Basketball In 71-54 WNIT Loss at James Madison

A lot of fight, and a lot to be proud of.

By Connor Akeman

HARRISONBURG, VA - A season full of ups and downs for the USF women’s basketball team came to a halt on Sunday night as the Bulls fell 71-54 to James Madison in the second round of the WNIT at the Convocation Center.

After USF grabbed an 18-17 lead at the end of one quarter, JMU exploded for an 18-1 run and outscored the Bulls 25-8 in the second period to take a commanding 42-26 adavantage into the locker room.

“It all started when we didn’t close the first quarter,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “It just carried over and we couldn’t stop it...but then again we’re asking three freshman and a sophomore to do that.”

The Bulls (19-16) shot a brutal 31% (19-for-60) from the floor and went just 2-for-14 from three-point land.

Sophomore Shae Leverett tried to spark USF in the third quarter, falling a rebound short of a double-double with a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Tamara Henshaw added 12 points and seven boards.

Winners of 28 consecutive home games, JMU shot nearly 50% (26-for-54) from the floor and drained 10 three-balls to put the Bulls away.

“We didn’t get to 20 wins like we wanted to but I couldn’t have been prouder,” Fernandez added. “I told them I think we got every ounce of effort and resolve from this group.”

Notables:

  • USF trimmed the deficit to seven points late in the third quarter, but went 3-for-10 from the floor in the final 10 minutes.
  • The Bulls now have eight straight 19+ win seasons