Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu nets 14 points, Bethy Mununga had 12 points, 11 rebounds for her fourth-straight double-double.
Game Details
-/RV Central Florida 67, No. 24/24 South Florida 51
USF (12-5, 2-1 AAC), Central Florida (12-2, 4-0 AAC)
Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 | 3 p.m. | ESPNU
Orlando, Fla. | Addition Financial Arena
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) (Jan. 16, 2022) — Diamond Battles and Tay Sanders combined to score 37 points as Central Florida knocked off No. 24 South Florida 67-51 on Sunday at Addition Financial Arena.
Battles finished with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, for the Knights (12-2, 4-0 American Athletic Conference). Sanders added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Alisha Lewis pitched in with 12 points and six assists as Central Florida snapped the Bulls’ four-game win streak and denied them the 700th win in program history.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu paced South Florida (12-5, 2-1) with 14 points. She added eight rebounds. Bethy Mununga, who averages a double-double, finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Elena Tsineke scored 12 points on 3 of 6 shooting from the field, including 1 of 2 from behind the arc, while making all five of her free-throws.
Battles and Sanders combined for 12 points in the second quarter as the Knights turned a six-point first-quarter lead into a 37-22 advantage at halftime. UCF led 55-34 after the third period.
The Bulls made the game interesting in the final six minutes, using a 10-0 run to cut the Central Florida lead to 10, 61-51, capped by two free-throws by Tsineke with 2:28 left in the contest, the Knights, however, scored the final six points of the game en route to the win.
South Florida, which had won 8 of 9 coming into the game, avoided becoming UCF’s 10th opponent to score less than 50 points this season.
Story courtesy of Associated Press. USF athletics communications contributed to this recap.
Notable
- Sunday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Maria Alvarez, G Sydni Harvey, W Elena Tsineke, F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, and F Bethy Mununga … The Bulls are 3-2 with this lineup.
- The loss to Central Florida drops South Florida’s record to 30-15 in the all-time series.
- Elena Tsineke’s 12 points against Central Florida was her 45th career double-figure scoring game in her 64th career game.
- Bethy Mununga recorded her 46th career double-figure rebounding game with her 11 rebounds against the Knights … In addition, she also recorded her 27th career double-double, her fourth-straight, and her fifth in the last six games, with her 12 points along with her 11 boards.
Up Next
South Florida will return to action, and to the Yuengling Center, on Wednesday, Jan. 19 when its hosts Tulsa at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) on Salute to Service Night, and in the first game of a two-game homestand … The Bulls will close the stretch on Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. against Temple (ESPN+) for the annual We Back Pat game.
For tickets call (800) Go-Bulls or head to USFBullsTix.com.
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 –
