Elena Tsineke leads the way with a game-high 13 points, Shae Leverett nets 12 points along with 13 rebounds.
Game Details
22/23 USF 62, Saint Francis (Pa.) 23
USF (5-1), Saint Francis (Pa.) (1-5)
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 | 2 p.m.
Tampa, Florida | Yuengling Center
TAMPA (Nov. 24, 2019) – The No. 22/23 University of South Florida women’s basketball team got back on the winning track with a dominating 62-23 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) at the Yuengling Center on Sunday afternoon. The Bulls improve to 5-1 on the year while the Red Flash drops to 1-5.
Saint Francis’ 23 points marks a share for the 11th fewest points allowed in a game, by USF, while the Red Flash’s 10 second half points is tied for the eighth fewest allowed in a half.
Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) led the way with a game high 13 points, in just 20 minutes of play, in her first collegiate game. Tsineke shot 4-for-8 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three-point range, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) had 12 points and a game high 13 rebounds for here first double-double of the season and the sixth of her career. Leverett was 5-for-8 from the field, and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line, while seven of her 13 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Fellow post player Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) chipped in with 10 points in the win.
Leading by just five points at the end of the first quarter, 16-11, the Bulls hit a different gear in the second quarter – and ultimately until the end of the game – holding Saint Francis to just 1-for-28 shooting from the field from the second period to the final buzzer. The Red Flash’s Jenna Mastellone hit a three-point shot with 1:24 left in the first quarter and Saint Francis did not hit another shot from the floor until 3:35 left in the game. USF outscored SFU, 16-2 in the second, 20-4 in the third and 10-6 in the final quarter.
The Bulls shot 44.1 percent (26-for-59) from the floor on the afternoon and outrebounded the Red Flash, 39-29, including a 17-4 margin on the offensive glass, leading to 16 second chance points. USF also controlled the paint, outscoring Saint Francis, 23-9 in the lane.
Score By Quarters
1 2 3 4 F
USF 16 16 20 10 62
Saint Francis 11 2 4 6 23
Key Stats
26+ – The Bulls took advantage of holding Saint Francis to without a field goal for over 26 minutes of game time en route to their win. The Red Flash scored on a trey with 1:24 left in the first quarter and did not hit another field goal until the 3:35 mark of the fourth. That was SFU’s only field goal during that stretch, going 1-for-28.
25 – USF forced Saint Francis into 25 turnovers on the day, which led to 23 points. The 25 miscues are the most by an opponent this season.
34 – The Bulls took advantage of 34 bench points this afternoon with 25 of the 32 coming from Elene Tsineke (13) and Shae Leverett (12).
Notable
- USF improves to 3-0 all-time against Saint Francis (Pa.).
- Elene Tsineke played her first collegiate game for USF after being cleared to play by the NCAA on Nov. 20.
- Eight of the 10 players that played for USF found their way into the scoring column.
- Six players of the 10 p-layers that saw time on Sunday played 20 or more minutes.
Up Next
The Bulls head South of the Boarder to take part in the Cancun Challenge, Nov. 28-30. USF will play a trio of NCAA Tournament teams from 2019, including South Dakota State on Nov. 28 (11 a.m.), Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 29 (1:30 p.m.) and NCAA national runner-up Notre Dame on Nov. 30 (11 a.m.). Following Cancun, the Bulls will return home for two-straight games against Alabama State on Dec. 6 (5:30 p.m.) and Idaho on Dec. 16 (1 p.m.).
Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
– #GoBulls –
About USF Women’s Basketball
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USF notched its eighth consecutive 19-win season and eighth straight postseason appearance in 2018-19. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Enna Pehadzic and Sydni Harvey.
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 19 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.
