Champ Central
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – No. 5 seed USF used a second-half surge to power past No. 4 seed Houston, 72-55, as the Bulls will advance to their sixth-straight semifinals at Mohegan Sun Arena Sunday. USF improved to an 11-5 all-time record in American tournament history and will face the winner of No. 8-seed ECU and top-seeded UConn Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
USF’s victory marked the first time since 2016 that a lower seed defeated a top-four seed in the quarterfinals.
Sydni Harvey (20 points) and Enna Pehadzic (16 points) combined for 36 points to lead the Bulls. Elisa Pinzan chipped in with 13 points and four assists. Rebounds were 40-27 in favor of USF, as the Bulls got 29 points off the bench. USF outscored Houston 39-29 in the second half, while shooting 62 percent. Houston was led by Dorian Branch who had 13 points.
Houston entered the game averaging 68.2 PPG for the second-best scoring offense in The American, while USF allowed 55.2 PPG on average for the league’s next-best scoring defense.
After Houston opened with the first two baskets of the game, USF scored three-straight jumpers over the next 2:06 to take its first lead, keeping Houston scoreless for six minutes of the first quarter. The Cougars responded with a 7-0 run to move back in front, 11-6. With five seconds left in the opening frame, Pehadzic drained a three-pointer, as the Bulls made it a one-possession game (11-9).
Houston was quick to respond in the second quarter, making three-straight field goals to stretch out to its largest lead of the game (seven points). Once again, the Bulls battled back with Harvey, Pinzan and Tamara Kenshaw each getting to the line and combing for an 8-0 run via free throws to regain the lead (33-32). Alyssa Okoene, who finished the day with 10 points and six rebounds, drew a shooting foul with 30 seconds left and hit the final two free throws of the first half to send the Cougars into the locker room with a 34-33 lead.
USF held a 23-11 rebounding advantage, while getting 17 points off the bench in the first half. Houston shot 44 percent and led 13-0 in points off turnovers.
The Bulls came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, shooting 61.5 percent, while holding Houston to six points in the third quarter. USF tacked on 21 points to move out to a 54-40 lead. USF held Houston scoreless through the final 5:22 of the frame. Harvey hit two three pointers, including a shot clock buzzer-beater, while Pehadzic registered nine points to fuel the Bulls’ offense in the third.
USF registered six more points to start the fourth quarter before the Cougars scored again, ending a nine-minute drought continued from the third. USF led by as many as 20 points, shooting 63 percent in the frame (5-for-8) to end the game.
Fans can watch the entire tournament on ESPN platforms, including ESPN3, ESPNU and ESPN2.
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