Expand / Collapse search
☰

USF women’s basketball team falls in first round of NCAA March Madness Tournament

By
Published  March 22, 2025 6:20pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • USF’s women’s basketball team lost in the first round of the 2025 NCAA March Madness Tournament on Friday night.
    • The final score was 101-66, marking their nineteenth tournament appearance in program history.
    • USF graduate guard Sammie Puisis led the team with 28 points, and senior forward L'or Mputu also had a notable performance with 12 points.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The University of South Florida’s women’s basketball team's season ended last night, as they lost to the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the 2025 March Madness Tournament.

The Bulls lost 101-66 to the Tennessee Volunteers after coming into the game as underdogs. 

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 21: Sammie Puisis #3 of the South Florida Bulls dribbles the ball in front of Alyssa Latham #33 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at the Jerome Schottenstein

Expand

The Bulls were ranked as a twelfth-seed, and were forced to face a fourth-seeded Volunteers team.

PREVIOUS: USF women’s basketball faces Tennessee in March Madness as Tampa prepares for Final Four

The game marked Jose Fernandez's tenth NCAA Tournament berth in 25 seasons and the nineteenth tournament appearance in program history.

Jose Fernandez on the sideline of USF women's basketball game.

Jose Fernandez on the sideline of a USF women's basketball game.

By the numbers:

USF graduate guard Sammie Puisis had 28 points, with 15 coming from 3-point shots.

It was the nineteenth game this season that Puisis made three or more three-pointers in a game.

Other notable players for the Bulls included senior forward L'or Mputu, who had 12 points and recorded double-digit points for the fourteenth time this season. 

The Volunteers were led by Talaysia Cooper, who had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

CLICK HERE:>>> Follow FOX 13 on YouTube 

Quarter breakdown:

The Bulls finished the first quarter down just 26-25 to the Volunteers, but they were outscored 33-9 from the start of the second quarter to the 8:43 mark of the third.

The Bulls' deficit only grew from there, trailing by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter.

Other notable stats:

  • USF now holds a record of 5-10 in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Puisis’ five three-pointers tied a USF single-game record for most threes made by a player in the NCAA Tournament.
  • Puisis' 28 points are tied for second-most by a Bull in an NCAA Tournament game, which Kitja Laksa previously held alone.
  • The Volunteers led the Bulls in bench points, 54-3.
  • South Florida outrebounded Tennessee, 43-35.

Post-game press conference:

Big picture view:

In Tampa, preparations remain underway for the NCAA Women’s Final Four at Amalie Arena, scheduled for April 4 and 6. 

Tampa is gearing up to host a record fourth NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Tampa is gearing up to host a record fourth NCAA Women’s Final Four.

The city is hosting several lead-up events to welcome basketball fans nationwide. 

"If you haven’t been to our community in several years, you truly won’t recognize us. We have a compact and walkable footprint ideal for this championship, and we can’t wait to roll out the red carpet for the student-athletes and fans," Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins told FOX 13.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the USF Bulls and previous FOX 13 reporting

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

TampaSportsNCAAUniversity of South Florida Bulls