Rallying Bulls Come Up Short in 68-62 Loss to MTSU
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA –
Tamara Taylor and the Bulls put together a late rally but couldn't come up with the stops they needed down the stretch in a 68-62 loss to Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday night before a crowd of 1,161 at the Sun Dome.
Taylor posted a career-high 22 points after knocking down four of USF's five 3-pointers in the team's second straight loss to a 2013 NCAA tournament opponent. The Bulls (5-5) trailed by eight with 4:41 remaining and cut the deficit to 62-64 with Taylor's final 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, but
MTSU closed the game out with a pair of free throws from
Shanice Cason and
KeKe Stewart.
"That's been our issue in our losses. We just haven't buckled down and gotten stops when we needed them," head coach
Jose Fernandez said.
MTSU (8-3) has won seven straight after getting 25 points and 11 rebounds from Ebony Rowe and 18 points from Stewart, who made four of Blue Raiders' eight 3-pointers.
"We needed to do a good job on Ebony Rowe. We doubled from different places, and they made the extra passes and found them," Fernandez said.
Fernandez said his biggest concern was USF's ball security after turning the ball over 17 times while
MTSU scored 21 points off takeaways.
Despite the loss, Fernandez was upbeat after watching his Bulls play a better team game than they did in a 75-56 loss to No. 14/18 Oklahoma State on Dec. 14. Freshman forward/center
Katelyn Weber scored a career-high 12 points after going 6-for-7 from the field in a career-high 24 minutes.
"I think the team's energy helped me a lot," Weber said. "They really looked for me and passed me the ball more, which helped me to become more confident in catching it. I just took my time."
Alisia Jenkins stepped up with a career-high 15 rebounds while the Bulls finished with a 42-29 edge on the glass.
"I think that's been our strength all year," Fernandez said. "(
Alisia) plays with high energy and a high motor."
The Bulls look to get back on track in their final non-conference game of the season 7 p.m. Saturday at College of Charleston.
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