TAMPA, Fla. | Shakyla Hill and Jasmine Boyd combined for 29 points as the Grambling State University women's basketball team could not recover from a 12-point halftime deficit in a 67-50 loss to South Florida on Saturday afternoon at the Yuengling Center.
 
Grambling State (1-7) trailed 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and 32-20 at the half. South Florida (8-2) extended the advantage to 53-32 entering the final period.
 
Hill finished with a double-double of 18 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, along with six assists and five steals. Boyd registered 11 points, one steal and one assist.
 
Sydni Harvey paced South Florida with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Laura Ferreira added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Alyssa Rader recorded a double-double of 16 points and a game-high 16 boards, along with three assists, while Enna Pehadzic tallied 10 points, six rebounds and one assist.
 
Turning Point
South Florida raced out to a 7-0 advantage after a 3-pointer by Alyssa Rader with 7:26 left in the opening period, but Grambling State battled back and cut the margin to 7-6 after two free throws by Shakyla Hill with 5:42 remaining.
 
The Bulls extended the lead to 12-6 as Enna Pehadzic sank a jumper with 3:41 left, but again the Lady Tigers kept the game close and trimmed the deficit to 14-11 after a layup by Kendriana Washington with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter.
 
South Florida got buckets by Laure Ferreira and Sydni Harvey down the stretch to give the Bulls a 17-11 lead at the end of one quarter and the Bulls pushed the lead to 21-11 after a Harvey layup with 8:19 left in the first half.
 
Grambling State continued to keep the game close and cut the double-digit deficit to 25-17 after a layup by Ariel Williams, but South Florida pushed the advantage to 32-17 after a free throw by Janeta Rozentale with three seconds remaining.
 
However, Hill sank a long 3-pointer right before the buzzer as the Lady Tigers trailed, 32-20 at the half.
 
The Bulls extended the advantage to 43-25 after a Harvey 3-pointer with 5:50 left in the third and closed out the period by outscoring the Lady Tigers, 10-7, to take a 53-32 lead into the final quarter.
 
Grambling State was unable to mount a comeback and never got any closer than 16 points in the fourth in falling to South Florida.


 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State was 17-of-61 (27.9 percent) shooting and 11-of-13 (84.6 percent) from the charity stripe
> South Florida shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the field and 83.3 percent (20-of-24) from the free-throw line
> GSU registered 34 rebounds, including 24 on the defensive glass
> The Bulls pulled down 53 rebounds, with 18 coming on the offensive end
> Grambling State finished with 22 points in the paint, 15 bench points, 14 points off 15 Bull turnovers, 13 fastbreak points and six second-chance points
> South Florida tallied 24 points in the paint, 16 points off 13 Lady Tiger turnovers, 13 bench points, eight second-chance points and five fastbreak points

News & Notes
> South Florida came into the game receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA Top 25
> Prior to Saturday's games, Grambling State's opponents have a combined 44-26 record
> Of the eight games the Lady Tigers have played this season, only McNeese State has a below .500 record (0-8)
> Grambling State played its second straight game against a member of the American Athletic Conference on Saturday
> The Lady Tigers will play four games in seven days, with three straight at the Puerto Rico Classic (Wednesday through Friday)
> Grambling State, which last played a home game on Nov. 9 (McNeese State), is in the midst of an 12-game road swing, which includes the first two SWAC games (Alabama State and Alabama A&M)
> Prior to Saturday's games, the three opponents the Lady Tigers will face at the Puerto Rico Classic (South Dakota, Indiana and Loyola Marymount) have a combined record of 25-3
 
Up Next
Grambling State continues its road swing on Wednesday in the Puerto Rico Classic. The Lady Tigers open play at 12:30 p.m. (central) against South Dakota at Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
 
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