A trio of players leads the Bulls with 11 points apiece as South Florida wins their fourth straight game.
Game Details
-/RV South Florida 55, Houston 35
USF (16-5, 6-1 AAC), Houston (9-11, 2-6 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center
HOUSTON (Jan. 30, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team overcame a sluggish first quarter to eventually dominate Houston, 55-35, on Sunday at the Fertitta Center for its fourth straight win.
The win improves the Bulls to 16-5 on the year and 6-1 in the American Athletic Conference, and they retain a share of first place in the league standings with rival Central Florida. The Cougars fall to 9-11 overall and 2-6 in The American.
Elena Tsineke, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Maria Alvarez all scored a game-high 11 points in the win, while Bethy Mununga added eight points and 18 rebounds.
Elisa Pinzan had six points and six assists leaving her five assists shy of 500 for her career which will make her only the third player in program history to reach the 500-assist plateau.
Both teams battled through a dismal first quarter offensively that saw the Bulls hold a slight advantage after 10 minutes, 9-7 before South Florida took a 23-16 lead into the intermission.
The Bulls came out after the break and took control of the contest behind a 15-2 run that was capped off by back-to-back layups from Tsineke to give South Florida a 42-20 lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
The Green and Gold extended its lead to a game-high 26 points, 48-22, again, on a driving layup by Tsineke, and never looked back en route to the win.
Once again, South Florida dominated the paint, outscoring the Cougars 32-16 in the lane.
The Bulls shot 36.8 percent (21-for-57) from the field on the afternoon and 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from the free-throw line, while holding Houston to just 23.7 percent (14-for-59) from the floor and 13.3 percent (2-for-15) from behind the arc.
Notable
- Sunday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elisa Pinzan, G Sydni Harvey, W Elena Tsineke, F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, and F Bethy Mununga … The Bulls are 7-2 with this lineup.
- South Florida’s win over Houston improves its record in the all-time series to 18-8.
- The Bulls have won four straight games, seven of their last eight, and 11 of their last 13 games.
- South Florida improves to 5-3 on the road this season.
- Elena Tsineke’s 11 points against Houston marks her 49th career double-figure scoring game in her 68th career game with the Bulls.
- Bethy Mununga recorded her 48th career double-figure rebounding game with her 18 rebounds against the Cougars … In addition, her 18 boards are tied for the fifth-most rebounds in her career.
Up Next
Following the game with Houston, USF returns home to face Tulane on Feb. 6 at noon in the first of four games to be played in the Yuengling Center over a five-game stretch. The Bulls will also host Central Florida on Feb. 13 (2 p.m., ESPN2), Cincinnati on Feb. 16 (7 p.m., ESPN+), and Wichita State on Feb. 22 (7 p.m. ESPN+) during that time span. The game against Wichita State is the make-up game from the Jan. 9 postponement.
For tickets call (800) Go-Bulls or head to USFBullsTix.com.
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 –
