Elena Tsineke scored 14 points and Shae Leverett added 10 points.
Game Details
(1) No. 25/24 Central Florida 53, -/RV (2) South Florida 45
USF (24-8), Central Florida (25-3)
Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 9 p.m. ET | ESPNU
2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Championship
Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena
FORT WORTH, Texas (March 10, 2022) — Elena Tsineke scored 14 points and Shae Leverett added 10 points but that wasn’t enough to carry the University of South Florida women’s basketball team as the Bulls fell to Central Florida, 53-45, in the championship game of the 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday night at Dickies Arena.
South Florida falls to 24-8 on the year while the Knights improve to 25-3. The Bulls will now wait to see where it will be heading in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
In addition to Tsineke and Leverett netting double figures in the scoring column, Bethy Mununga grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for the Green and Gold. Elisa Pinzan had nine points in the loss.
The Bulls, who were looking for their second-straight conference tournament title, led by as many as six points in the second quarter, 21-15, on a rebound putback by Leverett with just under seven minutes left in the half. South Florida eventually took a slight 26-24 lead into the locker room at the break.
After playing the third quarter where neither team held more than a three-point advantage, Central Florida outscored the Bulls, 16-6 in the final 10 minutes of play. The Knights took the lead for good, 41-40, with just over five minutes left, then extended the lead to as many as nine points with just over a minute left in the game.
Tsineke had six points through the first half and eight points through 30 minutes of play, however, Central Florida kept her scoreless in the final stanza.
For their efforts during the three games of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, Tsineke and Mununga were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Notable
- Thursday’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 6-4 with this lineup.
- South Florida falls to 25-37 all-time in conference tournament play and 17-8 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
- South Florida’s loss to Central Florida drops its record in the all-time series to 30-17.
- Elena Tsineke’s 14 points against the Knights mark her 58th career double-figure scoring game in her 79th career game with the Bulls.
- Bethy Mununga recorded her 56th career double-figure rebounding game with her 11 rebounds against Central Florida.
Up Next
South Florida will now wait to see where it will be heading in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will be on Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
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 –
