NASSAU, Bahamas – The University of South Florida women’s basketball team closed out the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship against Harvard on Wednesday. Raina Tomasicka recorded a career-high 14 points as the Bulls (4-3) defeated the Crimson (3-5) 56-54.
Tomasicka knocked down a career-high two 3-pointers on her way to a personal-best 14 points. She added three rebounds and a steal. Kirsten Lewis-Williams recorded her first double-double of the season, with a season-high 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds.
After Harvard scored the game’s first four points, Katie Davidson knocked down a 3-pointer to get South Florida on the board. The rest of the first stanza was a back-and-forth battle. Tomasicka put the Bulls on top with 30 seconds left with a 3-pointer. USF took a 13-11 lead into the second quarter.
The two sides picked up where the first half left off, trading baskets. Midway through the second, Harvard went on a 9-1 run and took a 29-22 lead. The Bulls closed out the half with a 4-0 run thanks to a Tomasicka buzzer beater and cut the deficit to 29-26 at the half.
Harvard opened the third quarter by outscoring South Florida 7-3 and extended its lead to 36-29. The Bulls were resilient and fought back with a 9-2 run. During the run, Ines Piper and Carla Brito each recorded four points. The Crimson made two free throws before the end of the third and took a 40-38 lead into the final stanza.
With the score tied at 44-44 midway through the fourth, Brito picked up a loose ball and took it the length of the court to give the Bulls the lead. Tomasicka drained a step-back 3-pointer and gave USF a 51-48 lead.
With the Bulls leading 53-51 with just over a minute left in regulation, Lewis-Williams drove to the basket and made the layup, despite being fouled. She converted the and-1 opportunity and gave South Florida a 56-51 lead. The Bulls went on to beat the Crimson 56-54.
