First of all, let’s celebrate how amazing the crowd was. Six thousand in attendance and of course most of them were Huskies fans. But regardless the crowd got into the game in the first half. Both teams battled on defense and made it difficult to score in the first half. The final score for the first half ended 29-25. Yikes, a low scoring first-half. The USF Bulls were on fire at first but had a tough loss to the Huskies. Final score 67-47.
High Energy in the first half
The Bulls went 12-31 from the field and 5-10 from the arc. USF shot 50% from the arc compared to the Huskies 20 %. That was the difference in the first half. The confidence was high for the Bulls and the energy from the fans helped them get into the game. The lady Bulls took control of the game in the first two quarters, finishing with 23 total rebounds, and 7 assists.
Here is what Coach Fernandez had to say about the first half:
” We took more shots than them so we had better chances on the boards”
The Downfall to the Second Half
Where should i start? The first thing i noticed is the lack of energy the lady Bulls had starting the third quarter. What happened to that energy they fed off from the fans? The Huskies didn’t waste any time making a comeback and simply dominated the second half of the game. They did everything right and were hustling for rebounds, steals and shooting better in the third and fourth quarter.
UConn Huskies
They started the third quarter with 50% from the field. But did go 0-3 from the arc. That didn’t stop them and they only went up from there. I have to give Coach Geno credit for knowing exactly how to coach his team and come back and win it with grace. It was fourth-quarter magic for the Huskies going 88.9 % from the field, 2-2 from the arc and from the line 75%. UConn had more assists and fewer turnovers than the Bulls.
Crystal Dangerfield is the real deal
Crystal Dangerfield only finished with nine points but she hustled on defense with 3 steals and 5 total rebounds for the game. Offensively she had an off night however she was helping her team in other areas. Dangerfield played the entire game and finish with 4 personal fouls. Had zero turnovers. She is tiny but fierce on the floor.
What went wrong with the Bulls
Two factors that went wrong with the Bulls in the second half. They didn’t take care of the ball with 22 turnovers for the game. No team is going to win with that amount of turnovers. If you don’t take care of the ball you are going to continue to lose games. Secondly, their energy went down. Not only from the fans but the team as well. As if you can feel the momentum shifting towards the Huskies bench. The Bulls field goal and 3FG percentage went down drastically. They finished 32.1 % from the field and 33 % from the arc.
The Bulls went 0-4 from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter. Not a strong finish. The Bulls with a tough loss to the Huskies.
Make sure to tune in for their next game on Wednesday the 19th at 6 PM ET on ESPN 3.
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