USF Women’s Basketball Loses to UCF 64-57; Third Straight Loss to the Knights

Poor shooting, terrible turnovers, and defensive lapses. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

The University of South Florida Bulls women’s basketball team let another winnable game slip right through fingers on Sunday afternoon as they fell to the Central Florida Knights 64-57.

“You’re up three going into the fourth quarter, and at the [fourth quarter media timeout], you’ve got to close those games at home,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “And we didn’t.”

Sophomore guard Elisa Pinzan was able to get into an early rhythm against the UCF zone defense as she knocked down three of her seven three-pointers in the first quarter. The Bulls made five three’s in the first quarter to take an early 17-14 lead.

In the second quarter, the Knights’ Kay Kay Wright exploded for 17 points after being held to just two points in the opening frame as UCF took a 37-33 lead into the break. Pinzan had 17 first half points to help pace the Bulls.

“We let [Wright] get going in the second quarter. She’s a really, really good basketball player, and she made shots. She carried their team,” Fernandez said.

USF did a great job defensively in the third quarter, allowing the Knights to score just five points. However, the Bulls failed to take advantage of the stellar defense, and only scored 12 points themselves to take a three point lead into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter UCF outscored USF 22-12 to seal the win. The Bulls had a chance to tie the game with 37 seconds left, but a poor pass from Bethy Mununga ended any hope at a comeback.

USF travels to Wichita State on Wednesday night. Tip is at 7:30 p.m.

Notables:

• The Bulls were out-rebounded for the first time all season 44-32.
• USF lost their first home game of the season.
• The Bulls shot just 28% on two-point field goal attempts.
• Elisa Pinzan tied her career-high with 23 points.