Bulls look for their third straight win as they face the Tigers in afternoon tilt.
TAMPA (Dec. 15, 2020) – The University of South Florida women’s basketball team tips off its American Athletic Conference slate on Wednesday as it travels to the Birthplace of Rock ’n Roll to take on the Memphis Tigers. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. ET and the game can be seen live on ESPN+
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GAME FIVE | WED., DEC. 16 | 3 P.M. ET | ELMA ROANE FIELDHOUSE, MEMPHIS, TENN.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: ESPN+ ($)
Greg Gaston (PxP), Niki Bray (Analyst)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (iHeartRadio/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP), Brigid Merenda (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com/StatBroadcast
Series: Memphis leads series, 15-12
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: Player families and season ticket holders ONLY
No. 23/24 USF BULLS | 3-1, 0-0 AAC
Last Game: Dec. 13 vs. Stetson (W, 85-43)
Next Game: Dec. 19 vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 376-273 (21st season)
at USF: Same
MEMPHIS TIGERS | 2-2, 0-0 AAC
Last Game: Dec. 12 vs. McNeese State (W, 68-48)
Next Game: Dec. 19 at Alabama, 2 p.m.
Head Coach: Melissa McFerrin
Alma Mater: Missouri, 1983
Career Record: 241-261 (17th season)
at Memphis: 191-191 (13th season)
QUICK HITS
– No. 23/24 USF hits the road for the first time during the 2020-21 season when it faces Memphis in Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 16 … Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+) … The Bulls look for their third straight win of the season.
– USF makes its first appearance of ‘20-21 in the Associated Press and USA Today/WBCA coaches polls this week … The Bulls debuted in the AP poll on Monday at No. 23, and No. 24 in the coaches poll.
– USF is coming off an 85-43 win over Stetson on Dec. 13, in its nonconference finale … Elena Tsineke led four players in double figures with 16 points … Shae Leverett (12), Bethy Mununga (10) and Cristina Bermejo (12) also scored in double figures.
– Maria Alvarez (11.7) is USF’s lone player averaging double figures, however the Bulls have six other players averaging no less than 7.0 points per game, including Elena Tsineke (9.8) and Sydni Harvey (9.5).
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
– Memphis comes into Wednesday’s game with a 2-2 record and winners of its last two straight … The Tigers are coming off a 69-48 win over McNeese State on Dec. 12.
– Dulcy Mendjiadeu Fankam is one of two players averaging double figures on Memphis’ roster, netting 16.0 points per game on the year … Mendjiadeu Fankam is also the AAC’s top rebounder averaging 13.3 boards per contest … She is followed by Alana Davis and her 14.5 points per game.
THE SERIES AGAINST THE TIGERS
– Wednesday marks the 28th meeting between USF and Memphis, with the Tigers holding a 15-12 series lead, dating back to the inaugural meeting in January of 1996 … The Tigers holds a 9-4 advantage over the Bulls in games played in Memphis … The two schools will meet again in Tampa on Jan. 17.
– The Bulls have won four of their last six games against Memphis, and 10 of their last 13.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BULLS
– The Bulls lead, or are in the top five, in the American Athletic Conference in several statistical categories through games of Dec. 14 (Complete NCAA team and individual ranking summaries can be found on pgs. 14-15):
– Maria Alvarez continues to lead the Bulls in scoring on the year, averaging 11.7 points per game … She is the team’s lone double-figure scorer … Alvarez is shooting 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field and a blistering 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from behind the three-point arc … In addition, she is perfect from the free-throw line, going 4-for-4 … She led USF in scoring with 18 points against No. 4/4 Baylor in her first game of the season.
– Elena Tsineke broke out of her offensive slump on Dec. 13 against Stetson … USF’s leading scorer last year, averaging 12.4 points per game, Tsineke came into the game with the Hatters, averaging 7.7 points per contest … She started to heat up against No. 4/4 Baylor and No. 6/7 Mississippi State, netting back-to-back nine-point games … Tsineke finally enjoyed a big night with a game high 16 points on 5-for-10 (50 percent) shooting from the field, including 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc, and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
– Sydni Harvey is third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game on the year … She scored double figures in her first two games of the year against Jacksonville (14 pts.) on Nov. 28 and No. 4/4 Baylor (11 pts.) on Dec. 1 … She fell just shy of double digits (8 pts.) against No. 6/7 Mississippi State on Dec. 5.
– Bethy Mununga has picked up right where she left off last year, and that was controlling the glass … Through games of Dec. 14, Mununga is second in The American, and 24th in the nation in rebounds per game, grabbing 11.0 boards per contest … She is also second in the AAC in total rebounds, having hauled down 44 through four games … For her career, Mununga has hauled down double-figure rebounds in 21 games, and has 11 career double-doubles to her credit, including two this season.
– Like Bethy Mununga, Elisa Pinzan has picked up where she left off following the 2019-20 season, although, for Pinzan, in the assist column … Through games of Dec. 14, Pinzan is second in The American in total assists with 23 … She is also second in the AAC in assists per game – and 16th in the nation, averaging 5.8 per contest … She has dished out 19 of her 23 handouts in the last three outings against No. 4/4/ Baylor (6), No. 6/7 Mississippi State (9) and Stetson (4).
UP NEXT FOR USF
– USF returns home to the Yuengling Center on Saturday, Dec. 19, when the Bulls play host to Houston … Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+.
– Following Houston, the Bulls will close out the calendar year with two straight on the road, at Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and at Tulsa on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
About USF Women’s Basketball
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women’s basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
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 –
