Sydni Harvey and Elena Tsineke lead the way for the Bulls with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Game Details
(1) No. 20 South Florida 48, (9) Wichita State 44
South Florida (16-3), Wichita State (6-12)
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) (March 9, 2021) — Sydni Harvey scored 14 points and No. 20 South Florida, the top seed in the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, pulled out a 48-44 win over ninth-seeded Wichita State in the quarterfinals at Dickies Arena on Tuesday.
Elena Tsineke added 12 points for the Bulls (16-3), who overcame 24.6% shooting (15 of 61) and 16 turnovers. They will play fourth-seeded Temple in the semifinals on Wednesday. The Bulls appearance in the semifinal round marks their eighth in as many years in the conference.
Bethy Mununga, who averages 11.2 points, was limited to three points on three shots, but she grabbed 15 rebounds, seven on the offensive end where the Bulls had an 18-9 advantage for a 14-5 difference in second-chance points.
Trajata Colbert scored 13 points for the Shockers (5-14), Mariah McCully added 11 and Seraphine Bastin 10 with eight rebounds and six assists. Asia Strong had 13 rebounds. Wichita State was just 1 of 11 from 3-point range, shot 32.8% overall (19 of 58) and had 22 turnovers.
Colbert’s three-point play to open the fourth quarter put the Shockers on top 38-37 but Tsineke and Harvey countered with baskets inside and the Bulls stayed ahead the rest of the way. Bastin cut the deficit to one point with 5:02 to go but the Shockers missed their next four shots until Colbert’s bucket with less than 10 seconds to go.
USF athletics communications contributed to this story.
Key Stats
10-3 – USF took advantage of 14 Wichita State miscues on the afternoon which led to its 10 points off turnovers, eight of which came in the second half.
14-5 – The Bulls held a 47-41 advantage on the boards, including a 14-5 margin on the offensive boards … USF’s control of the offensive glass led to a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
Notable
- South Florida’s win improves the Bulls’ record in the American Athletic Conference Tournament to 13-7 all-time.
- USF’s victory over Wichita State improves its record against the Shockers to 4-2 all-time … The Bulls have also won four-straight games against Wichita State.
- Sydni Harvey’s 14-point performance against Wichita State is her 12th double-figure scoring game of the season.
- Elena Tsineke’s 12 points marked her 11th double-figure game of the year.
- Bethy Mununga’s 15 rebounds marked her 15th double-figure rebounding game of the season and the 32nd of her career.
Up Next
USF will face fourth-seeded Tulane on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET in the tournament semifinals … The winner of that contest advances to the American Athletic Conference Championship game on Thursday at 10 p.m. on ESPNU.
About USF Women’s Basketball
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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 –
