USF vs. FIU Box Score | PDF
MIAMI -- The University of South Florida women's basketball team got back on the winning track today with a 84-56 victory over in-state foe Florida International at Pharmed Arena. USF head coach ? and FIU alum - Jose Fernandez has never lost to his alma mater in four meetings at the helm of the Bulls and certainly wasn't planning on starting today.
Shantia Grace scored a career-high 29 points, including 20 in the first half. ChiChi Okpaleke and Jazmine Sepulveda also recorded double figures netting 16 and 10 points respectively in the win.
Grace led an impressive offensive attack in the first half that saw the Bulls shoot 53.3 percent (8-15) from three-point range. In addition, USF (4-2) shot 40 percent (14-35) from the field in the first stanza.
Backcourt mates Grace ? who scored the first eight points of the game - and Sepulveda, who scored nine first half points, led the Bulls to a 46-31 lead at the intermission that ended with a 14-2 run over the last 5:53.
The Golden Panthers would go on a 6-1 run to start the second half, cutting the lead to 12 points, 47-35, but could not get any closer.
USF's largest lead, 28 points, would be the final outcome of the game.
The Bulls bench would come up big in the win scoring 30 of the team's 84 points. In addition, USF would record 19 points off 15 FIU turnovers.
The Bulls will have a quick turnaround as they return to the Sun Dome to face Saint Peter's College on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 4:30 p.m. The game, which is the first game of a men's and women's double header (USF men face UCF at 7 p.m.), will be televised live on Catch 47. It can also be heard live in the Tampa Bay area on 1010 Sports with Garrett Walvoord handling the play-by-play.
