TAMPA, Fla. - North Florida women's basketball (1-4) used a strong second half that saw their defense put up its best performance of the season, but fell just one point short of the comeback attempt, 56-55, against South Florida (4-1) on the road Sunday afternoon.

The Ospreys, who were at one point down by 17 points in the first half, clawed their way back into the mix by holding the USF defense to 14 total points in the second half. A late bucket by Jayla Adams cut the deficit to one, but the Bulls ran out the clock successfully in the one-point loss for UNF.

Adams had a special day on the court with career-high marks in both points (20) and three-pointers (5). Along with her four assists and two boards, the graduate transfer knocked down her first three attempts from range in the opening quarter after only making one through the first four games of the season.

USF 56, UNF 55

RECORDS

North Florida | 1-4
South Florida | 4-1

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

First Half: Adams started the game with nine of the first 11 points for the Ospreys after making a trio of three-pointers to give UNF a one-point lead halfway through the opening period...a made jumper by Lyric Swann, followed by Helena Rafnsdottir's driving layup finished off an offensive first quarter with 15 points...after falling down double digits, Swann continued to shoot lights out with a made three to start the second...Swann struck again with another jumper off the forced turnover to cut the deficit to six...two made free throws from Adams ended the first half with UNF down 13 points to the Bulls on the road.

Second Half: Coming out of the break, Swann hit a stepback three in the corner to get the Ospreys off to a hot start...a driving layup from Sarah Taub, along with a three made shots from range by Rafnsdottir, Adams and Taub cut what once was a 17-point deficit down to five at the end of the third quarter...the scoring continued for UNF, along with fiesty defense, to take the lead after another pair of threes from Alexa Washington and Rafnsdottir...the Bulls finally scored a field goal into the fourth quarter and regained a five-point lead back, but free throws were made by the Ospreys late to make it a one-possession game...Adams scored on a hook shot in the clutch with just over 30 seconds remaining, but time was cut short after an offensive rebound was recovered by USF with three seconds left for UNF to fall one point short of a comeback.

LEADERS BY THE NUMBERS

UNF
Jayla Adams | 20 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
Lyric Swann | 10 points, 3 rebounds
Helena Rafnsdottir | 8 points, 7 rebounds

USF
Vittor Blasigh | 27 points, 4 rebounds
Romi Levy | 8 points, 3 rebounds
Carla Brito | 4 points, 10 rebonds, 2 assists

COACH'S THOUGHTS

"This has been a challenging three-game week for our squad. I'm heartbroken for our kids that we couldn't pull off the upset today after such a valiant effort. 

Jayla [Adams] was phenomenal for us today on both ends. It was nice to see her excel at the three-point line because she's been working hard to become a better shooter. Her assist-to-turnover ratio is ridiculously good. Lyric [Swann] came out with so much confidence on another big stage to finish in double figures. 

We gave up 23 first-half points to [Vittor] Blasigh. We made some halftime adjustments and held her to just four points in the second half, mainly due to Sarah Taub's defensive effort. 

Overall, I was pleased with our shooting and our points scored off turnovers. I'm proud of our fight to hold USF to 14 second-half points, but we got killed on the glass. We have to be more consistent about blocking out. Our team will learn from this week and so will their first-time head coach."
-- head coach Erika Lambert

NOTES

• Adams surpassed her career-high marks in points with 20 total against the Bulls.
• Also made the most three-pointers in her career with five total makes on eight attempts.
• She dished out four or more assists for the fourth game on the year as well.
• Defense held USF to lowest third quarter points (7), fourth quarter points (7) and second half points (14) of the season.
• Ospreys have used the same starting lineup for a third consecutive game.

UP NEXT

North Florida rounds up its road trip over Thanksgiving weekend by competing at the GATA Turkey Throwdown hosted by Georgia Southern from Nov. 24-25 in Statesboro, Ga.