How to escape pounce after getting thrown by Sarah's b+P+G?

After the triple knee blast, is the pounce guaranteed? I can escape it like once in three times, by first mashing on three buttons and wiggle the stick, then rapidly tap b+G, where I back-roll to escape it. Had never escaped it using side-roll.
Question: Is there a better/faster way to escape it? Is back-roll the only way to escape it?

 

The pounce is definitely not guaranteed, but it requires a fair amount of struggling to get up. A back roll is probably the safest option, since it gets out of the way earlier than a side roll.

 

Neither the pounce or the d/f+k is guaranteed after b+P+G with Sara except the d/f+k when near a wall (Sarah doesn't have to half dash forward then.)