Elena Tsineke and Bethy Mununga paced the way with 17 and 15 points, respectively, in the closest contest between the two schools.
Game Details
No. 2 UConn 60, No. 23 South Florida 53
USF (3-2), UConn (3-0)
Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 | 12 p.m. | FloHoops
Paradise Islands, Bahamas | Atlantis Paradise Islands Imperial Arena
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (Nov. 21, 2021) — Sophomore Paige Bueckers and freshman Azzi Fudd combined to score 39 points to lead No. 2 UConn to a 60-53 win against No. 23 USF Sunday in the Inaugural Bad Boy Mowers Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis.
With the win, the Huskies remain undefeated with a 3-0 record and advance to the championship game on Monday. UConn will face the winner of the Oregon/South Carolina matchup at noon on ESPN2, while the Bulls (3-2) will play the loser at 2:30 p.m. Monday on ESPNU.
“Every time we play these guys (USF), must be 20 to 25 times in eight years, it’s always the same. They grind it out. They run their stuff. They’re so disciplined. They’re so well-coached. Their kids all buy in, and they scream for each other and defensively, they don’t give you anything inside. You have to make jump shots against them, and I thought that was a really gutty win for us,” said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.
Bueckers led all players with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. The 2021 Associated Press National Player of the Year and the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year also dished out seven assists and hit three 3-pointers. Fudd, the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year, had the best performance of her young career with 18 points, connecting on 6-of-10 shots, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
In a tightly-contested matchup of former American Athletic Conference (AAC) rivals, UConn led for most of the game, but USF stayed within striking distance. The Huskies led 34-25 at halftime, but the Bulls scored 20 points in the third quarter and limited UConn to 11 to knot the score at 45-45 heading to the fourth quarter.
“I thought for the most part, that first half we defended really well,” said USF head coach Jose Fernandez. “We gave up the straight line drives. The glass was really important to us. Holding them to six offensive rebounds, that was a thing and that’s what we stressed. That’s what hurt us at Tennessee, so I’m glad that we fixed that issue yesterday. We did a good job on the glass today.
“The pick and roll coverages hurt us there in the second half. Overall, short-term memory and we got to respond, get ready to play tomorrow, whoever we’re gonna play, but I’m proud. I thought we defended we made multiple plays and that was your typical second, third weekend NCAA Tournament game.”
After trailing by as many as 13 points early in the second quarter, and by eight, 42-34, with just over five minutes left in the third stanza, the Bulls used 9-0 run to take the lead, 43-42, on a Bethy Mununga runner in the lane. South Florida then took its biggest lead of the contest on a rebound putback by Shae Leverett with 19 seconds left in the quarter, before Bueckers hit a fall-away three to tie the contest at 45-all at the end of the third.
Fudd opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and Bueckers followed a few minutes later with a layup to push the Huskies lead to 50-45. Dulcy Mendjiadeu Fankam’s layup pulled USF within three points at the 5:55 mark, but the Bulls couldn’t get any closer as UConn held USF to just eight points in the fourth quarter to earn the 60-53 win.
Elena Tsineke and Mununga led the Bulls with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Mununga and Leverett each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in the loss, while Tsineke grabbed a career-high seven.
Story courtesy of Battle 4 Atlantis. USF athletics communications contributed to this recap.
Key Stat
15-8 – The Bulls and UConn were tied at 45-all at the end of the third quarter, however, the Huskies outscored South Florida, 15-8 in the final 10 minutes en route to the win.
Notable
- Saturday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elisa Pinzan, G Sydni Harvey, W Elena Tsineke, F Shae Leverett, and F Bethy Mununga … The Bulls are 2-2 with this lineup.
- The Bulls remain winless in the all-time series against No. 2 UConn; however, South Florida’s seven-point loss today was their first single-digit setback against the Huskies in 33 games.
- Shae Leverett reached the 700-career rebound threshold today against UConn with her eight rebounds. She finished the game with 702 for her career, 12th on the school’s all-time rebounding list.
- Elisa Pinzan dished out six assists against the Huskies, leaving her just one assist shy of 400 for her career.
Up Next
The Bulls conclude their play the Inaugural Bad Boy Mower Battle 4 Atlantis on Monday in the third-place game against No. 9 Oregon at 2:30 p.m. That game will be televised live on ESPNU. South Carolina, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, defeated the Ducks on Sunday.
South Florida closes out its trip to the Bahamas on Nov. 26 against the defending National Champion Stanford in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship. Tip-off against the Cardinal is at noon.
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.
