Pinzan also dished out 10 assists; Sydni Harvey added 22 points and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 17.
Game Details
No. 23 South Florida 71, No. 9 Oregon 62,
USF (4-2), Oregon (3-2)
Monday, Nov. 22, 2021 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Paradise Islands, Bahamas | Atlantis Paradise Islands Imperial Arena
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) (Nov. 22, 2021) — Elisa Pinzan had a career-high 26 points to go with 10 assists while No. 23 South Florida scored 28 points off turnovers to beat No. 9 Oregon 71-62 in Monday’s third-place game at the inaugural women’s Battle 4 Atlantis.
Sydni Harvey added 22 points for the Bulls (4-2), who repeatedly got their hands in passing lanes for deflections that kept interrupting the Ducks’ attempts to establish any kind of rhythm. South Florida was quick to capitalize, too, including a run of three straight scores after turnovers during a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that stretched the lead to 17.
From there, South Florida had to hold off a late burst by Oregon that helped the Ducks (3-2) get as close as 59-55 on Sedona Prince’s three-point play with 47.1 seconds left. But South Florida went 12 for 12 at the line from there to clinch it, with Harvey hitting the first four and then Pinzan making the final eight.
Sydney Parrish scored 15 points to lead Oregon, which committed a season-high 25 turnovers in a mistake-filled performance that helped South Florida get 16 more shots for the game.
Pinzan also came up with key shots, including a long banked-in 3-pointer from near the USF bench to beat the horn ending the third quarter.
She scored eight points in the 10-0 run, starting when she brought the ball up after yet another Oregon turnover and pulled up for a straightaway 3 with no defender anywhere near her. She followed with another 3, arms raised in jubilation, moments later then scored on a runout to make it 58-41 with 5:10 left.
When this was over, she led the screaming celebration with a sprint to the bench where the Bulls danced around after beating a ranked foe.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had a season-high 17 points for South Florida while also grabbing seven rebounds and blocking three shots, both game highs.
South Florida’s Elena Tsineke was one of five players named to the Inaugural Bad Boy Mowers All-Tournament Team. Joining Tsineke was Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Zia Cooke (South Carolina), Paige Bueckers (UConn), and Taylor Robertson (Oklahoma).
Story courtesy of Associated Press. USF athletics communications contributed to this recap.
Key Stat
12-for-12 – The Bulls were automatic down the stretch from the free-throw line, hitting all 12 of their shots from the charity stripe in the final 45 seconds.
Notable
- Saturday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elisa Pinzan, G Sydni Harvey, W Elena Tsineke, F Shae Leverett, and F Bethy Mununga … The Bulls are 3-2 with this lineup.
- South Florida improves its record in the all-time series over Oregon to 2-1 with Monday’s win.
- The win over the Hornets marked USF head coach Jose Fernandez’s 396th of his career, four shy of 400 … In his 22nd year as head coach of the Bulls, Fernandez’s career coaching record is 396-278.
- Elisa Pinzan dished out a season-high 10 assists against the Ducks, with her first assist of the day, in the opening quarter, being the 400th of her career … She finished the game with 409 career handouts to her credit.
- Pinzan’s career-high 26 points and 10 assists mark her third career double-double, and second points and assists double-double.
Up Next
South Florida closes out its trip to the Bahamas on Nov. 26 against defending National Champion Stanford in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. Tip-off against the Cardinal is at noon.
About USF Women’s Basketball
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USF recorded its best season in program history during the 2020-21 campaign, all while navigating the unpredictable COVID-19 landscape. In doing so, the Bulls won their first-ever American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and posted their highest ranking in the Associated Press Top25 poll – reaching as high as No. 12 – and made their ninth straight postseason appearance, and sixth NCAA appearance in the last 10 years.
USF has made 16 postseason tournament appearances and had seven NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 21 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and won nearly 400 career games. For his efforts on the sideline during the 2020-21 season, Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
The Bulls posted a 19-4 record and had five players, during the 2020-21 campaign, the Bulls had five players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elisa Pinzan (Most Improved Player, All-Conference Second Team), Maria Alvarez (Co-Sixth Player of the Year), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference First Team), Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), and Sydni Harvey (All-Conference Third Team).
In addition, Harvey was named the American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament Team, while Mununga and Tsineke were also All-Tournament selections.
– #GoBulls –
