Written By USF Athletics Senior Writer Joey Johnston
FORT WORTH, Texas – March. 13, 2025 – The South Florida women’s basketball team took care of business on Wednesday night, earning an automatic NCAA Tournament bid by defeating the Rice Owls 69-62 to win the American Athletic Conference Tournament at Dickies Arena.
The Bulls postgame celebration was anything but businesslike.
There were happy tears and uproarious cheers. There were smiles all around as camera phones worked overtime and falling confetti made for the perfect backdrop. There were tight hugs and quiet whispers to proud family members. Most of all, there was the joyful realization that this season’s journey, a true roller-coaster ride, has suddenly hit an upward trajectory.
For the No. 3-seeded USF women (23-10), the Madness has returned to March. Head Coach Jose Fernandez has his 10th NCAA Tournament team, and this one looks especially dangerous.
“This team has an opportunity to do something this program has never done before, and that’s playing into the (NCAA Tournament’s) second weekend,” Coach Fernandez said. “The two losses at the end of the season (against Tulsa and East Carolina), because they were outside the top 100, they’re going to hurt (USF’s NCAA seed).
“We won’t be an eight or a nine (seed), but we’re in the NCAA Tournament. We’ll figure it out, find out who we play, and we’ll be prepared. I’ll tell you right now, if we get seeded somewhere around a 12 or 13, if I was a four or a five, I wouldn’t want to play us. I’ll tell you right now, I would be upset if they had to play us.’’
You don’t have to convince Rice Head Coach Lindsay Edmonds, whose No. 9-seeded Owls (17-17), the defending AAC Tournament champions, were attempting to win four games in four days for the second straight season. This time, the Owls ran into a buzzsaw.
“I’ve had lots of bouts with Jose, even when I was at NC State as an assistant and we played against them in the NCAA Tournament and in the regular season,” Coach Edmonds said. “He does a great job recruiting. He gets players who fit into his system. He has a very intricate offensive system that we didn’t do a great job of preparing for in one day of prep. But I think he finds the right pieces that fit into his system and he knows how to win because he has been in these situations a lot of times.”
Against Rice, three Bulls were particularly effective. Each of them — Most Valuable Player junior forward Carla Brito, graduate guard Mama Dembele, and sophomore guard Vittoria Blasigh — made the AAC’s All-Tournament team.
Brito had 17 points (including 2-for-3 from 3-point range) and nine rebounds in the title game. In three AAC Tournament games, Brito had 43 points, 32 rebounds, and five steals.
“Carla means everything to this team,” Dembele said. “I think she’s the glue. She’s the person who brings that energy every day. If you look at her face, you don’t know if she’s having a good game or a bad game because she doesn’t care. She cards so much about all of us.”
“Carla had a tough year last year, and she knew she did, but she took responsibility and was accountable,” Coach Fernandez said. “She’s in the gym all the time. She’s always doing extra. She let me coach her. And when a player lets (someone) coach her hard and demand from her, there’s a reason (why she’s successful).’’
Dembele, a transfer from Missouri, provided the missing ingredient: a point guard who plays downhill and offers superior defensive prowess. With the Tigers, she played in three WNIT events. After her leap of faith, a transfer to USF, she has been rewarded with her first NCAA Tournament bid.
“When I got here (to USF), Coach Jose told me we’re going to the NCAA Tournament,’’ Dembele said. “I told him I believed him. Here we are. So, I’m the happiest person alive right now.’’
Blasigh had 20 points against Rice — and 49 points overall in the three AAC Tournament games.
Performing with a short bench, four USF players (Dembele, Blasigh, Brito, and graduate guard Sammie Puisis) played all 40 minutes.
The Bulls never trailed against Rice —, after falling behind 2-0 in the opening AAC Tournament game against Tulane, USF never trailed again throughout the AAC Tournament — and built a 15-point advantage during the third quarter. Dembele said it was a matter of throwing the first punch and then continuing to punch throughout the game.
The Owls made some second-half runs and twice cut it to a five-point margin in the fourth quarter. But the Bulls had enough muscle to fight off the charge, helping to salt away the outcome by going 10-for-13 from the free-throw line in the final stanza.
Coach Fernandez said he was confident that his team would finish the job on Wednesday night.
“I think they came to Fort Worth with a purpose, and it showed,’’ Fernandez said. “It showed all three days. It’s a special group to win three games in three days. This is something that they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives.”
“I just felt with the way they prepared and the way they handled themselves all day (Wednesday), they weren’t going to lose. I’ve coached a lot of basketball games, and you get a feeling about those sort of things. It’s a great group, and I’ve really enjoyed coaching them tremendously.”
As Fernandez completes his 25th season at USF, it’s an especially meaningful NCAA Tournament bid. The Women’s Final Four will be held at downtown Tampa’s Amalie Arena on April 4 and 6. That’s when Fernandez will be installed as president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. With the Bulls in the NCAA field, the local team will be a significant part of the proceedings.
“We’ve been working for this all year long,’’ Dembele said. “To finally get the reward just feels amazing. We did it as a team, and it’s just bigger than any individual in that locker room.
“We care about each other. We play for each other. We proved it on the court. Now, we just have to look ahead and see what’s in front of us. We respect everyone, but we fear nobody. We’re ready.”
Once the USF celebration dies down, it’s back to taking care of business.
UP NEXT
South Florida awaits its fate in the NCAA Tournament, as the bracket will be revealed on Selection Sunday (Sunday, Mar. 16) at 8 p.m. on ESPN. The first-round games will take place from Mar. 21-22.
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ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
South Florida women’s basketball has made 18 postseason tournament appearances and had nine NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 25 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided the Bulls to 11 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2008-09 WNIT championship, has won over 450 career games, and is the all-time wins leader in the American Athletic Conference.
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