Maria Alvarez nets a game-high 18 points, Kristyna Brabencova has career best 16 points in the win.
Game Details
-/RV USF 80, Alabama State 29
USF (6-4), Alabama State (3-4)
Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 | 5:30 p.m.
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TAMPA (Dec. 6, 2019) – The University of South Florida women’s basketball team got a game-high 18 points from Maria Alvarez (Miami, Fla.) and a career-best 16 points from Kristyna Brabencova (Brno, Czech Republic) as the Bulls dominated Alabama State on Friday night at the Yuengling Center en route to an 80-29 win. The victory improves the Bulls to 6-4 on the year while the Lady Hornets fall to 3-4.
In addition to the freshmen tandem of Alvarez and Brabencova, fellow classmate Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) added 15 points. Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) was a force on the glass grabbing a career-high tying 15 rebounds, including 11 in the first half.
USF controlled the game from the start, leading at the break, 36-22, but it was in the second half where the Bulls took their game to another level outscoring Alabama State, 44-7, in the final 20 minutes of play. Six of the seven points came in the third quarter. USF shot 17-for-34 (50 percent) from the field, including 9-for-20 (45 percent) from behind the three-point arc in the second stanza to close out the night.
Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy) turned in nine points and dished out a game-high seven rebounds, and Beatriz Jordao (Pombal, Portugal) chipped in with six points and a season-high nine boards.
Score By Quarters
1 2 3 4 F
USF 16 20 24 20 80
Alabama State 8 14 6 1 29
Quotable
Click the web link above for complete postgame press conference and game highlights.
Key Stats
7 – USF completely took the game over in the second half, outscoring the Lady Hornets, 44-7 … The seven points is the third fewest points allowed in a half in program history.
Notable
- Today’s starters for the Bulls were: F Bethy Mununga (Zellik, Belgium), C Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.), G Elisa Pinzan, G Elena Tsineke, F Luize Septe (Ventspils, Latvia) … The Bulls are 1-1 with this lineup.
- The Bulls improve to 2-0 all-time against Alabama State.
- USF improves to 34-2 in nonconference games at home over its last 36 games, spanning five-plus years … USF has won 19 straight nonconference games, and 31 of its last 32, with the only loss coming to Louisville during the 2016-17 season.
- The Bulls’ 17 three-point shots made against Alabama State is the second most in program history, behind only the 21 dropped in from behind the arc against Southern on Dec. 15, 2017.
- The 51-point margin of victory is tied for the 18th largest for the Bulls in program history.
- The win for the Bulls snaps a three-game losing streak.
- USF’s bench made a major contribution in the win over the Lady Hornets outscoring the Alabama State reserves, 47-7.
- With her second to last rebound of the night, Tamara Henshaw recorded her 750thcareer rebound … She finished the game with 751 for her career which moves her into ninth all-time passing USF great Jessica Dickson (2003-07) who finished her career with 746.
- Shae Leverett is just nine rebounds shy of grabbing her 400th career rebound … She finished the Alabama State game with seven boards, giving her 391 for her career.
Up Next
Following a break for final exams, the Bulls will conclude their two-game homestand with Idaho on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. The game is the first game of the final women’s and men’s doubleheader of the season with the men’s team taking on Drexel at 4 p.m.
Dec. 15 will be USF’s Holiday Spectacular with the first 500 fans in attendance wearing an ugly sweater receiving a USF basketball holiday ornament along with a 15 percent discount to the USF team store. In addition, at both games, Santa Claus will be at the Yuengling Center along with a performance by the popular Zooperstars.
The Green and Gold close out their games before the holiday break at the Duel in the Desert, Dec. 19-21, in Las Vegas. The Bulls will take on 2019 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Mississippi State on Dec. 19 (7 p.m. ET) and either the host UNLV or Virginia on Dec. 21 (3/5 p.m. ET).
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.
