Elena Tsineke led three players in double figures with 18 points
Game Details
Tulane 67, -/RV South Florida 55,
USF (16-6, 6-2 AAC), Tulane (14-7, 5-4 AAC)
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022 | Noon | ESPNU
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TAMPA (Feb. 6, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team had its 16-game home winning streak snapped on Sunday as the Bulls fell to Tulane, 67-55, at the Yuengling Center. The loss drops South Florida to 16-6 on the year and 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference, while the Green Wave improves to 14-7 overall and 5-4 in The American.
Elena Tsineke scored a game-high 18 points while Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had 15 points and Bethy Mununga added 14 points in the loss. Fankam Mendjiadeu and Mununga also recorded double-doubles, grabbing 10 and 13 rebounds, respectively.
The Bulls were 7-0 this season at home coming into the matchup with Tulane and won nine consecutive last year. Their last loss in the Yuengling Center came on Dec. 1, 2021, at the hands of the defending national champion Baylor.
South Florida trailed by as many as 13 points, 27-14, with just over four minutes left in the first half, before going into the locker room down 29-20.
In the second half, the Bulls got the Green Wave lead down to five points numerous times, and to four points, 29-25, with 8:43 left in the third quarter on a three-point play by Fankam Mendjiadeu. That was as close as the Green and Gold got the rest of the way.
South Florida shot 33.3 percent (23-for-69) from the field and controlled the inside outscoring Tulane in the paint, 40-20, on the backs of Mununga and Fankam Mendjiadeu. The Bulls, however, had their struggles from behind the three-point arc, shooting just 2-of-27 from long range, after missing their first 21 three-point attempts.
Notable
- Sunday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elisa Pinzan, G Maria Alvarez, W Elena Tsineke, F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, and F Bethy Mununga … The Bulls are 0-1 with this lineup.
- South Florida’s loss to Tulane drops its record in the all-time series to 28-20.
- The Bulls’ loss to the Green Wave snaps their 19-game winning streak against Tulane … South Florida’s last setback to the Green Wave came on Dec. 17, 2009, a 76-72 loss in the, then, USF Sun Dome.
- Elena Tsineke’s 18 points against Tulane marks her 50th career double-figure scoring game in her 69th career game with the Bulls.
- Bethy Mununga recorded her 49th career double-figure rebounding game with her 13 rebounds against the Green Wave … In addition, her 14 points along with her 13 rebounds marks her 29th career double-double with the Bulls.
- Elisa Pinzan handed out four assists against Tulane giving her 499 for her career.
Up Next
Following the game with Tulane, USF heads back on the road to the “City of Brotherly Love” where it will face Temple on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) before returning to the Yuengling Center for a major match up with Central Florida in the second game this season in the War on I-4. Tipoff against the Knights is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
The meeting with Central Florida will begin a four-game in a six-game stretch that will be played in the Yuengling Center.
For tickets call (800) Go-Bulls or head to USFBullsTix.com.
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 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 –
