TAMPA, Florida—South Florida jumped out to a fast start and the Northwestern State women's basketball team could not keep pace in a 71-36 road loss Tuesday evening at the Yuengling Center.

The Demons (3-7) turned the ball over 12 times in the first quarter and 19 in the first half and dug themselves an insurmountable hole.

Overall, Northwestern State turned the ball over 30 times and USF (6-6) turned them into 33 of its 71 points.

"I was disappointed in our first half effort," head coach Anna Nimz said. "Not everyone came in ready to compete. We have to be locked in and ready to go from the tip. Turnovers absolutely plagued us again.

"I felt the team responded after halftime and fought much harder in the second half. I believe some younger kids got some very beneficial minutes that will help us in the future. We will take a few days away and get back at it and be ready to start SLC play."

Of the 30 turnovers, 23 of them were of the live ball variety, as Mama Dembele recorded nine steals to go along with eight points, six assists and four rebounds.

Due to four turnovers in the first three minutes, the Demons attempted one shot in those three minutes, which was made by Vernell Atamah.

Atamah scored four points in the first quarter and despite the 12 turnovers, Northwestern State was still within striking distance at 18-7.

Atamah, a freshman from Mesquite, Texas, was the lone Demon to reach double figures, tallying 12 points to go with four rebounds.

But the Bulls dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Demons 20-3, to blow open the game and take a 38-10 lead into the break, as the stifling USF defense held Northwestern State to just 1-of-12 shooting in the second period.

Northwestern State fought back in the second half, only being outscored by two in the third and five in the fourth, as leading scorer Mya Blake scored all five of her points in the third period to try to cut into the deficit.

The Demons needed to shoot the 3-pointer effectively, but the stingy Bulls defense ran the Demons off the 3-point line, only allowing Northwestern State to shoot 14 triples, making three, all of which came in the second half.

Atamah was one of three Demons to make more than one field goal, as she was joined by Carla Celaya (3) and Blake (2). For the game, Northwestern State shot 27.1 percent, compared to USF's 45.2 percent.

USF had three players reach double figures in points, led by Vittoria Blasigh's 18. Romi Levy (15) and Sammie Puisis (12) also hit double figures.

The Demons grabbed 15 of their own misses, nearly matching the Bulls in rebounds.

Northwestern State's bench came alive, as it scored 15 of its 36 points.

The Demons take a break before returning to Southland Conference play, taking a trip to Texas to battle Houston Christian on Dec. 29 before returning home to play McNeese on Jan. 2 at Prather Coliseum.