USF suffered through a dismal first half and host Nebraska-Omaha took just enough advantage of the misfires to hand the Cougars a 69-68 setback at Sapp Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
The Cougars rallied late from an 18-point deficit to tie the game, but the comeback fell just short as the Mavericks coverted a pair of free throws with 3.1 seconds left to escape with the win.
The loss dropped USF to 15-3 overall and snapped their five-game winning streak. The Cougars were also defeated at home by the Mavericks (13-10) on January 15 (74-61).
USF shot 29% (10-34) from the floor in the first half and their marksmanship from long range was even worse. The Cougars went 3-for-18 beyond the arc and at one point missed 12 straight three point attempts.
"We were terrible in the first half, I'm not going to mince any words about it," head coach Travis Traphagen said. "A number of our kids got that deer in the headlights look---like, get me out of here, Coach---and I don't feel sorry for them."
"I just said, hey, at some point, you've got to step up and make plays."
The Cougars' shooting woes were evident from the start of the game. UNO jumped ahead 13-3 behind eight points from freshman standout Cathleen Cox. The Mavericks stretched their lead to 13, 35-22, with 3:37 left in the half. USF scored the final four points to cut UNO's lead at intermission to single digits, 37-28.
It looked like things would get out of hand when the Mavericks opened the second half on an 11-2 tear to take their biggest lead of the night at 48-30. USF still couldn't buy a jumpshot but prevented UNO from pulling away for good with a solid defensive effort that forced six Maverick turnovers in the second half.
The shots finally began to fall for the Cougars halfway through the second half. USF hit three straight treys during a 14-4 run and trailed by just three, 59-56 with less than seven minutes remaining.
Alyssa Rushton tied the game at 67 on a layup with 1:41 left. She was fouled on the shot and made the freebie to put the Cougars up 68-67, their first lead since being up 3-2 at the 17:52 mark of the first half.
Vanessa Johnson secured the defensive rebound after a Mavericks misfire on the ensuing possession, but Cox stole the ball near midcourt and called a timeout. UNO missed the game-winner again but USF center Jamey Hofer was tagged with her fifth foul with only 3.1 seconds left in the game. Maverick Jamie Nash nailed both free throws which sealed the victory for UNO when Johnson's half-court heave fell short.
"In the second half, we started playing well---kids started making plays and knocking down shots," Traphagen said. "But the reality is we didn't make enough plays and give credit to Omaha."
Rushton led the Cougars with 15 points. Hofer added 12 points and seven rebounds. She is now eighth on USF's all-time career scoring list (1,231). Vanessa Johnson had eight points.
"I still feel as though we are one of the best shooting teams in the country," Traphagen said. "All in all, I'm proud of the way we played and came back in the second half."
The Cougars will close out their four-game road stretch at Dakota State on Saturday.
