Bulls look to finish with momentum heading into American Athletic Conference play at Memphis on Dec. 16.
TAMPA (Dec. 12, 2020) – The University of South Florida women’s basketball team closes out its nonconference slate on Sunday as instate foe Stetson makes its wat across Interstate 4. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+.
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GAME FOUR | SUN., DEC. 13 | 2 P.M. | YUENGLING CENTER, TAMPA, FLA.
GAME INFORMATION
TV/Video: ESPN+ ($)
Leah Secondo (PxP), Brigid Merenda (Analyst)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (iHeartRadio/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com/StatBroadcast
Series: USF leads series, 24-10
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: No fans during nonconference schedule
RV/RV USF BULLS | 2-1
Last Game: Dec. 5 vs. No. 6 Mississippi St. (W, 67-63)
Next Game: Dec. 16 at Memphis, 3 p.m.
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 375-273 (21st season)
at USF: Same
STETSON HATTERS | 1-0
Last Game: Dec. 10 vs. Edward Waters (W, 98-48)
Next Game: Dec. 15 vs. Florida Memorial, 2 p.m.
Head Coach: Lynn Bria
Alma Mater: University of Charleston, 1990
Career Record: 376-376 (25 seasons)
at Stetson: 223-163 (12 seasons)
QUICK HITS
– RV/RV USF returns to action on Sunday for its final scheduled nonconference game of the season, as Stetson makes its way across I-4 … Tip-off is at 2 p.m. (ESPN+) … The Bulls are still looking for one game to round out their nonconference slate.
– Sunday marks the fourth game of a four-game homestand to start the 2020-21 season, however, it’s the first of only two that the Bulls will play at home in the next five games.
– The Bulls are coming off a historic win on Dec. 5 as they defeated No. 6/7 Mississippi State, 67-63 … It was the highest ranked opponent USF has ever defeated … Elisa Pinzan led the way with 14 points, a career high 11 rebounds and nine assists in the win.
– USF has two players – Maria Alvarez (13.5) and Sydni Harvey (11.0) – averaging double-figure points, and five others who are netting no less than 7.0 points per game.
SCOUTING STETSON
– Sunday’s game will mark Stetson’s second contest of the 2020-21 season, after having four of its first five games canceled due to Covid-19 related issues … The game against USF would have been the Hatters’ first game of the year, however they scheduled Edward Waters this week … Stetson handed the Tigers a 98-58 loss on Dec. 10 in Deland, and come into the meeting with USF, 1-0.
– Yazz Wazeerud-Din led five players in double figures in the scoring column, with 18 points, while Day’Neshia Banks was a close second with 17 points … Jamiya Turner had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Tonysha Curry and Maddie Novak added 12 points apiece.
THE SERIES AGAINST THE HATTERS
– Sunday’s game marks the 35th meeting between USF and Stetson with the Bulls leading the all-time series, 24-10, dating back to the 1977-78 season.
– USF and Stetson last met in the first round of the 2019 WNIT, with the Bulls handing the Hatters a convincing 84-50 loss.
– USF comes into the game with the Hatters having won 12 straight games against Stetson, dating back to the 1998-99 season.
– Despite playing in just one game against the Hatters during their careers with the Bulls, Elisa Pinzan (23.0 ppg), Sydni Harvey (18.0 ppg) and Shae Leverett (11.0 ppg) are all averaging double figures in the scoring column against Stetson.
UP NEXT USF
– USF hits the road for the first time during the 2020-21 season as it faces Memphis on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 3 p.m. (ET) (ESPN+) in Elma Roane Fieldhouse in The American opener for both schools.
– The meeting with the Tigers is the first of three AAC road games that the Bulls will play in their first four league games … USF returns home to face Houston on Saturday, Dec. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+), before a two-game road stretch at Cincinnati on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and at Tulsa on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BULLS
– Maria Alvarez continues to lead the Bulls in scoring on the year, averaging 13.5 points per game … She is shooting 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from the field and a blistering 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from behind the three-point arc … In addition, she is perfect from the free-throw line, going 4-for-4 … She led USF in scoring with 18 points against No. 4/4 Baylor in her first game of the season.
– Sydni Harvey is the only other Bull averaging double figures, netting 11.0 points per outing … She scored double figures in her first two games of the year against Jacksonville (14 pts.) on Nov. 28 and No. 4/4 Baylor (11 pts.) on Dec. 1 … She fell just shy of double digits (8 pts.) against No. 6/7 Mississippi State on Dec. 5.
– Bethy Mununga has picked up right where she left off last year, and that was controlling the glass … Mununga is currently second in The American, and 31st in the nation rebounds per game, grabbing 11.0 boards per contest … She is also second in the AAC in total rebounds, having hauled down 33 through three games … For her career, Mununga has hauled down double-figure rebounds in 20 games, and has 10 career double-doubles to her credit.
– Like Bethy Mununga, Elisa Pinzan has picked up where she left off following the 2019-20 season, although, for Pinzan, in the assist column … Pinzan is tops in the conference in assists, which is also good enough for 24th in the nation … She is also second in the AAC in assists per game – and 20th in the nation – in assists per game, averaging 6.3 per contest … She has dished out 15 of her 19 handouts in the last two outings against No. 4/4/ Baylor (6) and No. 6/7 Mississippi State (9).
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 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.
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