SYRACUSE, N.Y. The University of South Florida women's basketball team fell behind early and could not overcome a 20-point first half deficit as Syracuse handed the Bulls a 78-57 loss Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.

After the game was deadlocked at three-apiece, the Orange (16-4, 4-3 BIG EAST) would use a 20-2 run to blow the game open capped by a Elashier Hall lay-up with 12:33 left in the half.

USF (10-12, 1-7 BIG EAST) would get back on the board when Porche Grant hit two free throws making the score 23-7 with 12:11 left in the first stanza, then with 11:30 on the clock Leondra Doomes-Stephens hit the first of her two back-to-back three-pointers - the Bulls' first field goal since a Andrea Smith lay-up with 16:08 left in the first stanza - cutting the Syracuse lead to 13, 23-10.

The Orange would regain control and took their biggest lead of the half, 39-19, on a Shakeya Leary lay-up with 3:58 left before the break.

USF, however would close out the first 20 minutes on a 13-6 run to get the Orange lead back to 13, 45-32 at the intermission.

The second half wouldn't be much different than the first. Syracuse would get the lead back to 18 points three times with the third coming on the second of two free throws by Leary with 10:17 left in the contest.

The Bulls would get the lead down to 12 points, 62-50, as USF used an 8-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Smith with 8:50 left. That would be as close as it would get as the Orange extended the lead to a game-high 24 points putting the game away.

USF would shoot just 39.2 percent (20-51) from the field while Syracuse was 26-50 (52 percent) from the floor.

Smith would pace the way for the Bulls with a game-high 23 points.

USF now gets a week off to prepare for its meeting with Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Sun Dome.