Tsineke led five players in double figures, including Dulce Fankam Mendjiadeu, Maria Alvarez, Bethy Mununga, and Sydni Harvey.
Photo – Elena Tsineke drives against West Virginia at the West Palm Beach Invitational on Monday, Dec. 20. Credit: Stephen Galvin/USF Athletics Communications
Game Details
No. 18 South Florida 77, West Virginia 55
USF (9-3), West Virginia (6-3)
Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 | 1:15 p.m. | FloHoops
West Palm Beach, Fla. | Massimino Court at the Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) (Dec. 20, 2021) — Elena Tsineke scored 20 points, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 14 points and 12 rebounds and No. 18 South Florida beat West Virginia 77-55 on Monday in the West Palm Beach Invitational.
Click here for West Palm Beach Invitational Tournament Central.
South Florida snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series, getting its second victory over West Virginia in nine meetings. USF took the first meeting, 66-56, on Feb. 25, 2006.
Maria Alvarez also scored 14 points and Bethy Mununga had 10 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for USF (9-3), which has won four straight and six of seven. Mununga leads the American Conference, and is ninth in the nation, averaging 11.9 rebounds per game.
The Bulls shot 58.3% from the field, going 8 of 13 from distance, and outrebounded West Virginia 31-17.
South Florida didn’t shoot lower than 50 percent in any of the four quarters and hit at a 63.6% clip in the fourth quarter as the Bulls extended their lead to as many as 29, 74-45, with just over four minutes remaining on a Fankam Mendjiadeu layup.
Madisen Smith led West Virginia (6-3) with 15 points. Kirsten Deans added 13 points with five assists.
Both teams continue tournament play on Tuesday with USF facing Mississippi and West Virginia going against Michigan State.
Story courtesy of Associated Press. USF athletics communications contributed to this recap.
Notable
- Monday’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 2-0 with this lineup.
- South Florida and West Virginia met for the ninth time on Monday, with the Bulls getting their second win in the nine games.
- Bethy Mununga’s 10 points and 11 rebounds marked her 22nd career double-double in 64 career games played, and her third of the season.
- In addition, Mununga also dished out a game and career-high six assists against the Mountaineers.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 14 points and 12 rebounds were her 26th career double-double and her first with the Bulls.
- South Florida blistering 61.5 percent from behind the three-point arc (5-for-16) is tied for the sixth-best in a single game in program history, and its highest since shooting 57.1 percent against Stetson on March 21, 2019.
Up Next
South Florida closes out the West Palm Beach Invitational against Ole Miss on Dec. 21. Tip-off is at 1:15 p.m. and can be seen on FloHoops ($).
The Bulls will close out their 2021-22 nonconference slate on Dec. 29 at the Yuengling Center against Jacksonville. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.
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 –
