The Bulls welcome the Huskies into the Yuengling Center for the final time as a member of The American; USF looks to set a new program home attendance record.
TAMPA (Feb. 15, 2020) – USF returns to the Yuengling Center to welcome No. 5/6 UConn for the final time as a member of The American. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. (ESPN3/SNY). The two programs have met each season since the 2002-03 campaign as members of the BIG EAST and AAC. In addition, the Bulls look to set a new program home attendance record, looking to surpass the current mark of 6,659 set on Jan. 6, 2018 against the Huskies.
GAME 25 | FEB. 16, 2020 | 2 P.M. | TAMPA, FLA. | YUENGLING CENTER | ESPN3
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Video: ESPN3/SNY
Allen Bestwick (PxP), Meg Culmo (Analyst)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (iHeartRadio/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP), Brigid Merenda (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com
Series: UConn leads series, 29-0
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: (800) Go-Bulls; USFBullsTix.com
USF BULLS | 15-9 (7-3, AAC)
Last Game: Feb. 13 at Tulane, W, 53-43
Next Game: Feb. 19 at UCF, 6 p.m.
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 369-268 (20th season)
at USF: Same
No. 5/6 UCONN HUSKIES | 20-3 (10-0, AAC)
Last Game: Feb. 10 at No. 1/1 South Carolina, L, 70-52
Next Game: Feb. 19 vs. Tulane, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Geno Auriemma
Alma Mater: West Chester, 1981
Career Record: 1,082-142 (35th season)
at UConn: Same
QUICK HITS
– Sunday’s contest is the lone game that the Bulls will play during a four-game stretch which began at Tulane on Feb. 13 … Following UConn, USF travels to UCF (Feb. 19, ESPN3) and Memphis (Feb. 22, ESPN3).
– USF is coming off an impressive 53-43 road win over Tulane on Feb. 13 … Elisa Pinzan had a game-high 18 points, and Elena Tsineke and Bethy Mununga added 11 points apiece … Mununga also grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds (eighth double-double).
– USF has three players – Elena Tsineke (12.6), Sydni Harvey (11.4) and Bethy Mununga (10.0) – averaging double-figure points, and three others netting 7.8 points per game or better on the year.
TICKET & PROMOTION INFORMATION
– For ticket questions or to purchase tickets, please visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-Go-Bulls … Single-game tickets are available; however; courtside seats are sold out for the 2019-20 season.
UP NEXT FOR USF
– Following UConn, the Bulls hit the road for a two-game road stretch at UCF on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. (ESPN3) and then at Memphis on Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. (ESPN3).
– USF closes out the month of February at home against East Carolina on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. (ADN) and then SMU on Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. (BullsVision).
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BULLS
– In just 19 collegiate games, Elena Tsineke has made her presence felt for the Bulls after being cleared to play by the NCAA … Tsineke missed the first five games of the season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA … Tsineke leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game … She has scored double figures in 13 of the 19 games she has played in, including career-high 25 points against Temple on Feb. 9, and two 20-point efforts, at Temple on Jan. 16 and against Houston on Jan. 29 … Tsineke was 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from the field, including 3-for-7 (42.9 percent) from behind the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line against the Owls … She also netted 19 points, twice, against Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 29 in the Cancun Challenge and against Cincinnati in The American opener on Jan. 5 … She is shooting 40.1 percent (83-for-207) from the field, including 32.6 percent (31-for-95) from behind the arc, and 87.5 percent (42-for-48) from the free-throw line.
– Bethy Mununga comes into Sunday’s game averaging just shy of a double-double in the 21 games she has played this season … She missed three games – Idaho, Mississippi State and UNLV – with a hamstring injury … Her 10.0 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per outing are third and first on the team, respectively, and her rebounds per game average is second in The American, through Feb. 13 … She has scored in double figures in 13 of the 21 games she has played in, including career highs of 16 points at Baylor (Nov. 19), against Brown (Dec. 30) and Cincinnati (Jan. 3) … She’s shooting 50.6 percent (87-for-172) from the field on the year.
– Mununga has recorded a double-double in eight of the 21 games she has played in … Her most recent double-double was an 11-point, and career-high 17-rebound effort at Tulane on Feb. 13 … She has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 11 games this season.
– Sydni Harvey is back to her old self after missing the first 10 games of the season due to a leg injury … Harvey is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game, and has scored double figures in seven of the last 10 games played … She set a career high for three-point shots made in a game with seven against Temple (7-for-8) en route to a career-high tying 25 points on Feb. 9 … Harvey had a near perfect offensive night shooting 7-for-10 (70.0 percent) from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to go along with her performance from long range.
– Elisa Pinzan posted a career high tying 23-point effort against UCF on Jan. 19 … She shot 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from the field and 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from behind the three-point arc … She set career-highs with eight field goals and seven three-point shots made against the Knights … Pinzan also had a previous season-high 14 points against No. 2/2 Baylor on Nov. 19 on 5-for-14 (32.7 percent) shooting from the field, and 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc … Despite missing five games – Idaho, Mississippi State, UNLV, Brown and Cincinnati – due to an ankle injury, she continues to lead the team in assists per game, and is currently dishing out 4.7 per game, which is tops in The American … Pinzan has handed out six or more assists in six of the past 10 games – dating back to Alabama State on Dec. 6 – and in five-of-nine since returning from her ankle injury at Tulsa on Jan. 19.
– Tamara Henshaw, second on the team in rebounding, comes into the UConn game with 853 career rebounds, following her three-rebound effort against Tulane on Feb. 13 … She has recorded double-figure rebounds in two of the last four games … She reached the 800-rebound plateau with her seven boards against Cincinnati on Jan. 5 … Against Houston, Henshaw moved past Nalini Miller (2003-07) into seventh all-time at USF … Next up is Jessica Lawson (2007-10), in sixth on the all-time list with 863.
– Henshaw is 10th in the AAC in rebounds per game, grabbing 7.1 per outing, through Feb. 13.
– Kristyna Brabencova is averaging 7.8 points per game on the year and 3.7 rebounds per contest … She missed the last three games due to a sprained ankle suffered against Houston (Jan. 29) … She has scored double figures in eight games this season, in five of her last eight played, and seven of her last 12 … Her double-figure outing at Tulsa on Jan. 12, was a career-high 17 points performance on 6-for-9 shooting (66.7 percent), including 2-for-3 (66.7 percent) from long range, and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
SCOUTING UCONN
– UConn comes into Tampa for the first of two meetings against USF, boasting a 20-3 overall record and a 10-0 mark in The American … The Bulls and Huskies will meet again on March 2 in Hartford in the regular season finale for both teams on Big Monday (ESPN2).
– The Huskies are coming off a 70-52 loss at No. 1 South Carolina on Feb. 10, in Columbia … UConn has lost two of its last three games … The Huskies are ranked No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 6 in the USA Today/WBCA rankings.
– UConn has four players averaging double figures in the scoring column, led by Megan Walker and her 19.0 points per game … Crystal Dangerfield is second, averaging 16.0 points per contest, and Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa are netting 14.0 points and 11.1 points per outing, respectively … Walker also leads the Huskies in rebounding, grabbing 8.9 per game, and Nelson-Ododa is pulling down 8.7 boards per contest.
THE SERIES AGAINST THE HUSKIES
– Sunday’s game between USF and UConn marks the 30th meeting between the two schools, dating back to the 2002-03 campaign, with the Huskies holding a 29-0 lead in the all-time series.
– The two teams played one overtime game in the series with that coming in the second meeting on Dec. 1, 2004 in Storrs, with UConn coming out on top, 75-65.
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 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.
– #GoBulls –
