| |
|
|
 |
|
If you weren't there ...
|
Jessica Lawson, who received a sixth year of eligibility this summer, recorded the 11th double-double of her career by pointing up 14 points and 17 rebounds. The 17 rebounds is a career high for the senior.
|
| |
|
2 |
|
|
|
FAMU
|
27 |
34 |
12 |
73 |
| USF |
23 |
38 |
7 |
68 |
| Scoring Leaders |
| Player |
FG-A
|
3FG-A
|
FT-A
|
TP
|
| FAMU- Bennett |
6-14 |
3-6 |
4-4 |
19 |
| USF - Dalembert |
8-20 |
0-0 |
0-2 |
16 |
| Rebounding Leaders |
| Player |
|
|
|
| FAMU- Donald |
4 |
7 |
11 |
| USF - Lawson |
5 |
12 |
17 |
| Misc. Leaders |
| Player |
Steals
|
Assists
|
Blocks
|
| FAMU- Jones |
7 |
5 |
2 |
| USF - Stokes |
3 |
6 |
0 |
|
|
|
TAMPA- The University of South Florida women's basketball team dropped the opening game of its 2009-10 season to Florida A&M, 73-68 in overtime.
It was supposed to be a celebration of an WNIT Championship, and the beginning of a new year for the Bulls, but the Rattlers came into the Sun Dome and defeated USF in an opener for the first time in the past seven years.
The banner-raising was postponed due to head coach Jose Fernandez missing the game due to sickness.
Associate head coach, Jeff Osterman served as head coach for the Bulls. The game was Osterman's first as a head coach at the Division I level. Osterman led Central Florida Community College to a 150-30 record in his time as head coach.
"I thought they really came out and challenged us from the start," Osterman said. "We told our kids that. They were prepared for that. Again, with the lights on for the first time and only having some closed door scrimmages pressure does different things to different people. Today it exposed some things.
Jessica Lawson, who received a sixth year of eligibility this summer, recorded the 11th double-double of her career by netting 14 points and 17 rebounds. The 17 rebounds is a career high for the senior.
The Bulls dropped to 13-4 in their last 18 season openers, and 23-15 in all season openers. The loss to FAMU broke a seven game win streak in games to open a season for the Bulls.
The overtime loss dropped USF to 18-11 in overtime games all-time. The Bulls had won eight straight entering the game against FAMU.
Melissa Dalembert led the Bulls with 16 points and posted her second career double-double of her career by putting up 11 rebounds in the loss to FAMU.
"They just put a lot of pressure on us. I probably reacted towards it and there are things that we're not used to doing, playing faster than we should. So it caused us to turn the ball over and not play our game actually," Dalemert said.
Lawson, back for another year for the Bulls, went to the line four minutes into the game and knocked down a pair of foul shots to give USF a lead and got the defending WNIT Champions out to a quick start to the 2009-10 season.
The Bulls opened the game on a 9-0 run, and did not surrender a point until four minutes into the game.
FAMU responded with three three-point field goals to take the lead 13-11 with 12:36 remaining, and would continue to fluster the Bulls attack.
FAMU went on a 22-7 run after the initial flurry by the Bulls, and slowed down the USF fast-paced offense.
In the back-and-forth first half, both teams combined for 21 turnovers including ten by the Bulls and eleven by FAMU.
Florida A&M controlled the pace of the game through the first half, and hit a buzzer-beater three to take the 27-23 lead into the half.
Both teams shot under 30 percent from the field in the opening half, with USF shooting 23.7 percent while the Rattlers were a few percentage points better with a 28.6 percentage from the floor.
Both teams came out with a slower pace to open the second half, and it resulted in both squads exchanging buckets to tie the game at 34-34 with just 13 minutes left.
The Bulls regained the lead on a three by Stokes with just under 12 minutes remaining 37-35. On the following possession, the Bulls pulled down three offensive rebounds and eventually converted on a two-point bucket by Dalembert.
A three point shot by freshman KaNeisha Saunders extended the Bulls lead to seven points, their largest lead since early in the first half, with just under six minutes to play.
"I just stepped up to the plate because my coaches asked me to. He told me to play my game and I did. I made a couple mistakes but I just learn from it as the season goes on," Saunders said.
Up just two points, and guarding against a possible game-tying shot, the Bulls senior, Lawson pulled down the rebound, and was fouled. She went to the line and hit both ends of the one-and-one to put the Bulls up 59-55 with 44.7 seconds remaining.
Qiana Donald pulled down an offensive rebound for FAMU after a miss, and was fouled, but air-balled the first and made the second to narrow the Bulls' lead to three.
The Rattlers would not go quietly, as Deidra Jones hit a game-tying three-pointer with three seconds remaining to force overtime.
Freshman Saunders and Tameka McKelton exchanged threes to give FAMU the 65-64 lead in overtime, but Jessica Lawson responded with an offensive rebound an a put back two to put the Bulls up 66-65.
After a two by Gaines on a fast-break, Dalembert responded with a bucket of her own to give the Bulls the lead with under a minute to play.
The Rattlers regained the lead, 69-68 and extended it to 71-68 after a pair of foul shots by Gaines with 29.3 seconds left.
A two-point attempt by Lawson missed wide right, and FAMU recovered and was fouled. Gaines sealed the game with two free throws to spoil the Bulls' 2009-10 opener.
GAME NOTES:
Jessica Lawson, who received a sixth year of eligibility this summer, recorded the 11th double-double of her career by scoring 14 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. The 17 rebound is a career high for the senior.
Freshman KaNeisha Saunders scored 14 points and added three rebounds and six assists in her debut for the Bulls.
Janae Stokes accounted for 13 points for the Bulls, including going 3-11 from three-point land. The senior hit 116 three-pointers last season.
Melissa Dalembert led the Bulls with 16 points and posted her second career double-double of her career by putting up 11 rebounds in the loss to FAMU.
The Bulls lost just their sixth game ever in non-conference games at the Sun Dome after the 73-68 loss to Florida A&M in overtime.
Associate head coach, Jeff Osterman served as head coach as the Bulls' head coach Jose Fernandez was unable to coach due to sickness. The game was the first time Osterman has appeared as a head coach in Division I. Osterman led Central Florida Community College to a 150-30 record in his time as head coach.
The Bulls dropped to 13-4 in their last 18 season openers, and 23-15 in all season openers. The loss to FAMU broke a seven game win streak in games to open a season for the Bulls.
The overtime loss dropped USF to 18-11 in overtime games all-time. The Bulls had won eight straight entering the game against FAMU.
