Elena Tsineke scored a game-high 24 points for the Bulls in the loss.
Game Details
Houston 67, No. 13/13 USF 49
USF (14-2, *12-1 AAC), Houston (15-5, 12-4 AAC)
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center
* The American has declared a forfeit win for USF against Memphis for conference-standings purposes only as a result of the scheduled game from Jan. 17 that was not played. The teams’ overall records are not affected.
HOUSTON (AP) (Feb. 27, 2021) — Elena Tsineke scored a game-high 24 points but that wasn’t enough as the University of South Florida women’s basketball team fell to Houston, 67-49, on Saturday at the Fertitta Center, snapping its program-record 13-game winning streak.
Houston (15-5, 12-4 American), which holds teams to 23.9% from 3-point range, only allowed South Florida to go 4 of 21 (19%).
Meanwhile, the Cougars made 7 of 15 from long range and have made at least five 3s in all but three games this year.
Tsineke scored seven points in a 9-0 run to open the second quarter to give USF (14-2, 12-1 American) a 14-10 lead but the Bulls only scored four points in the last seven minutes and trailed 29-18 at the half. It was 53-33 after three quarters.
South Florida only shot 37% (18 of 49) from the field and 9 of 17 (53%) from the line while turning the ball over 24 times and being outrebounded by eight.
South Florida closes the season with a home-and-home series with UCF on Tuesday and Thursday with both teams only having one conference loss. The two-game stretch will determine the regular season American Athletic Conference champion.
USF athletics communications contributed to this story.
Quotable
“I thought Houston played with a great deal of emotion, energy, and enthusiasm. We have to give them a great deal of credit on this win.” – USF head coach Jose Fernandez
Key Stats
15-8 – The Bulls lost the battle of the boards against Houston, with the Cougars holding a 41-33 advantage, however, Houston also held a 15-8 margin on the offensive glass, leading to 11 second-chance points.
24/26 – USF turned the ball over a season-high 24 times this afternoon against the Cougars, leading to 26 points off the miscues.
Notable
- USF’s loss to the Cougars drops the Bulls’ record in the all-time series to 17-8, including a 9-4 mark in games played in Houston.
- The Bulls’ 14-2 record marks the best 16-game start in program history, equaling the 2016-17 team … With two games remaining in the regular season, the best 18-game start, to date, in program history came during the 2016-17 campaign with a 15-3 record.
- USF’s loss to the Cougars snapped its 13-game winning streak, the longest in program history … Coming into the afternoon, the Bulls had the seventh-longest winning streak in America.
- USF’s setback over Houston also snapped its 12-game conference winning streak (which included a forfeit win over Memphis), which also stands as a new program record for consecutive conference wins.
- Elena Tsineke’s game-high 24 points were her sixth career 20-point performance of her career with the Bulls, and second highest of the season, behind her 31-point outing against Wichita State on Jan. 6.
Up Next
USF ends the regular season with back-to-back War on I-4 tilts against UCF – with the regular-season title on the line over the two-game stretch – on March 2 (5:30 p.m., ESPN+) in the Yuengling Center, and then two nights later in Orlando on March 4 (5 p.m., ESPNU).
Following the regular season, the Bulls will head back to the Lone Star State for the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, March 8-11.
About USF Women’s Basketball
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USF notched its ninth consecutive 19-win season and was poised for its ninth straight postseason appearance in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the end of the college basketball season. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Elena Tsineke and Elisa Pinzan. Tsineke was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, in addition to The American All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-Conference; while Pinzan was named a Third Team All-Conference selection.
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 20 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 more than 350 games.
– #GoBulls –
