Fankam Mendjiadeu had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mununga added 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulls now sit atop The American standings with UCF.
Game Details
-/RV South Florida 62, SMU 56
USF (15-5, 5-1 AAC), SMU (9-7, 3-1 AAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
DALLAS (Jan. 26, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team had four players record double figure points and three post double-doubles as the Bulls won their third-straight game, and their 10th game in the last 12, with a 62-56 win over SMU at Moody Coliseum.
South Florida improves to 15-5 on the year and 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference and now sits atop the conference standings in first place with Central Florida. The Mustangs, who came into the game in first place, fall to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in league play.
In addition, the victory marked the 100th win for the Bulls as a member of The American.
The twin-tower tandem of Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Bethy Mununga led the way for the Bulls en route to the win. Fankam Mendjiadeu had a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mununga added 17 points – all coming in the second half – along with a game-high 13 rebounds. Mununga had 12 of her 17 points in the third quarter. Elisa Pinzan and Elena Tsineke each netted 10 points apiece, with Pinzan adding 10 assists.
South Florida led 18-16 at the end of the first quarter and extended its lead to as many as nine points, 28-19, with 4:35 left in the half, behind an 8-0 run that was capped by a Fankam Mendjiadeu layup off a SMU turnover. The Mustangs, however, closed out the half with its own 13-0 run, and a 15-2 stretch over the last four-plus minutes, to take a 34-30 lead into the locker room at the break.
Mununga got the Bulls going in the second half scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter but South Florida could not pull away as the two teams sat tied at 50 at the end of three despite shooting 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from the field.
SMU’s Kayla White gave the Mustangs a slight 52-50 lead with 8:37 left in the game, however, those were the last points that SMU saw for just over eight minutes. The Bulls proceeded to lock down the Mustangs defensively, holding them to 0-for-14 shooting from the field, and scoreless, until Jasmine Smith hit a layup in the lane with 31 seconds left in the contest
Notable
- Wednesday’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 6-2 with this lineup.
- South Florida’s win over SMU improves its record in the all-time series to 14-1.
- The Bulls have won three straight, six of their last seven, and 10 of their last 12 games.
- South Florida improves to 4-3 on the road this season.
- Elena Tsineke’s 10 points against SMU marks her 48th career double-figure scoring game in her 67th career game with the Bulls.
- Bethy Mununga recorded her 47th career double-figure rebounding game with her game-high 13 rebounds against the Mustangs … In addition, she also recorded her 28th career double-double and her fifth in the last seven games, with her 17 points along with her 13 boards.
- Elisa Pinzan played in her 100th career game for the Bulls.
- Pinzan’s 10-point, 10-assist double-double was the third of the season and fifth of her career – the fourth points-assist double-double.
Up Next
Following the game with SMU, the Bulls will return to Tampa before heading back to the Lone Star State to face Houston on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPNU). South Florida will return home to face Tulane on Feb. 6 at noon.
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 –
