Elena Tsineke scored a team-high 15 points and Bethy Mununga had 11 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Game Details
UCF 58, No. 15 South Florida 45
South Florida (15-3, *13-2 AAC), UCF (14-3, 12-2 AAC)
Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 5 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Orlando, Fla. | Addition Financial Arena
* 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.
ORLANDO (AP) (March 4, 2021) — Elena Tsineke scored a team-high 15 points and Bethy Mununga added 11 points and 14 rebounds, but the No. 15/14 South Florida women’s basketball team fell to rival UCF in the regular-season finale on Thursday night.
The Knights held the Bulls (15-3, *13-2 AAC) to a season low in scoring as well as shooting at 25.5 percent (14 of 55). UCF also protected the rim as USF went 7 of 22 from 3-point range and 7 of 33 inside the arc and was outscored 34-8 on points in the paint.
The teams split the season-ending series and are the top two seeds — USF first — heading into the American Athletic Conference tournament on Monday.
The Bulls are the fifth team to be held to a season-low in points against UCF (14-3, 12-2 AAC). In 17 games, the Knights have held their opponent to less than 50 points.
UCF scored the last 14 points of the first quarter to take an 18-8 lead and led 32-23 at halftime. Masseny Kaba scored 12 of her game-high 16 points for the Knights, who shot 52%.
Sydni Harvey scored all eight Bulls points in the first quarter but didn’t score again. Mununga and Tsineke combined for all 15 points in the second quarter.
USF athletics communications contributed to this story.
Notable
- South Florida’s loss to UCF drops the Bulls’ record against the Knights to 29-14 all-time … USF, however, has won 23 of the last 29 games against UCF.
- The Bulls’ 15-3 record ties the best 18-game start in program history, equaling the 2016-17 team.
- Elisa Pinzan paced the team in the scoring column for a team-high sixth time this season with her 18 points against the Knights.
- Bethy Mununga’s 11 points and 14 rebounds marked her 20th career double-double and her 11th of the season.
- Mununga’s 14 boards also marked her 31st game of 10-or-more rebounds.
- Elena Tsineke’s 15 points mark her 10th double-figure scoring performance of the season and the 28th of her career.
- Elisa Pinzan’s eight assists mark her 22nd career game with seven-plus assists.
Up Next
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.
By winning the AAC regular season title, and earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, USF will face the winner of the eight-nine game on March 9 at 3 p.m. ET in the tournament quarterfinals.
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 –
