USF Ends Record Setting Season With 78-63 Loss To Wake Forest In WNIT Second Round

Anedra Gilmore

The USF women’s basketball team ended the best season in its 33-year history Monday night with a 78-63 loss to Wake Forest in the second round of the Sportsview.tv Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Bulls finish the season with a 21-11 record setting a new record for wins in a season.

The Demon Deacons (17-14) took an early 7-4 lead just two and a half minutes into the game only to see the Bulls use a 12-2 run to take what would be their largest lead of the game, 16-9, with 13:10 left in the first half on a three-point shot by Chanae Early (Atlanta, GA).

Wake Forest, however, would keep it’s composure and use its own 16-8 run to regain the lead, 25-24, with 7:55 left in the half. After Nalini Miller (Capital Heights, MD) tied the game at 25-all on a the first of two free throws, the Demon Deacons would take the lead back for good with on a trey by Cotelia Bond-Young with 6:34 left in the first stanza.

Wake would eventually take a 49-38 lead into the locker room at the intermission.

In the first half, the Bulls would shoot an impressive 47.1 percent (16-34) from the field, however would allow the Demon Deacons to hit a blistering 55.2 percent (16-29) of their shots from the floor.

Wake would come out of the gate fast in the second half taking its biggest lead of the game, 15 points at 51-38.

The Bulls would cut the lead to as few as seven points in the second half but could not get any closer.

Unlike its first half shooting performance, USF would shoot a dismal 25 percent (8-32) from the field in the second half despite picking up its defensive intensity and holding Wake to just 29 points – 20 less than in the first half – in the second stanza.

Anedra Gilmore (Jacksonville, FL) led the way for the Bulls with a game high 16 points and five assists while logging a full 40 minutes of action.

The 5-6 senior point guard finishes her stellar career with 365 career assists in just two seasons (60 career games). That puts her in fifth place all-time on the career assist list at USF just one handout from sharing fourth.

In addition, Jessica Dickson (Ocala, FL) and Miller added 14 points apiece while Sharon Cambridge (Miami, FL) chipped in with 10 points in the loss. Ezria Parsons (Bushnell, FL) grabbed a team high seven assists.