The Women’s teams from the University of Southern Florida and University of Central Florida faced off Tuesday evening. Southern Florida had the advantage, being ranked at 15th in the nation and only having two losses under their belt. However, the match did not go as smoothly as planned, and Central Florida nearly defeated the neighboring rivals, leaving them troubled near the end of the match.
For the majority of the first half, Southern Florida was outplaying Central Florida in every which way. Their offense and defense were incredible, especially in the first half. Obtaining 18 points in the opening quarter and only having 5 against, it seemed to be an easy match. At the next tip-off, things continued in a similar manner for Southern Florida. Once again, they maintained most of the possession, adding another 16 points to the scoreboard.
When halftime came around, the game wasn’t even close. Southern Florida up by half the points that Central Florida got, the score now at 34-17. It wasn’t hard to see that Southern Florida clearly had the upper hand.
After the teams came back out to begin a new half, though, the tables quickly turned. Central Florida was now fighting with more force, and Southern Florida was struggling to keep up. Perhaps they got too cocky with their early lead in the match, and now they were paying the price.
Things were especially intriguing in the last quarter of the game, Central Florida owning their opponent’s home court. Now, Southern Florida was the team that was having a difficult time connecting passes and completing shots. The huge gap in points that was once there was now gone, and Central Florida nearly had a huge comeback. Unfortunately, they started putting out their full energy a little too late and couldn’t play catch up. The visitors lost by just a mere 3 points towards the end of the game at 65-62.
Players to watch
Although Central Florida didn’t win, they certainly didn’t go down without a fight. Overall, they caused Southern Florida to earn their victory with much more effort than intended. Both groups overall had a decent night, but two players were the difference makers on the court. Alisha Lewis for Central Florida gave it her all, being the leading scorer for her team, accounting for 27 points. Along with that, she made 3 of 3 free throws and 9 of 16 field goals. Elisa Pinzan also led her
team in points with 18. Alongside that she played every minute of the match, never once stepping off the court. Pinzan was able to make 7 of 8 free throws and 3 out of 8 three-point attempts as well.
Team records
Now with a win, Southern Florida improves their record to 15-2 overall and 12-1 in their conference play. With a loss, Central Florida is 13-3 for an overall record and 11-2 in their conference.
Up Next
The same teams are set to go against each other once again on Thursday, March 4th at 5:00 ET, this time at Central Florida’s home court. This match will be live on ESPNU.
