Wednesday, December 14
South Florida 77, Marshall 68 – Box Score
Tennessee 99, UCF 64 – Box Score
Middle Tennessee 68, Houston 61 – Box Score
 
Recaps
South Florida 77, Marshall 68 – Box Score
TAMPA — The University of South Florida women's basketball team got 17 points from Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and 16 points from Elena Tsineke as the Bulls defeated Marshall, 77-68, on Wednesday morning in front of 5,573 fans at the Yuengling Center. The Monday morning contest was part of South Florida's annual Education Day that welcomed nearly 4,500 Hillsborough County elementary and middle school students, teachers and chaperones.
 
The win improved the Bulls to 9-3 on the year while the Thundering Herd fall to 5-4.
 
South Florida shot a season-best 73.3 percent (11-for-15) from the field in the first quarter and used a 13-0 run to take a 25-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
The Bulls extended their lead to as many as 12 points in the second quarter, 27-15, on a layup by Fankam Mendjiadeu, just over 30 seconds into the stanza, and then with just over seven minutes left before the break, 32-20, when Maria Alvarez hit her first field goal of the season – a three-pointer – in her first game back from a season-ending knee injury suffered last year. Alvarez finished the game with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field, all coming from behind the arc, and two assists.
 
After trailing 45-39 at the half, Marshall scored the first seven points of the third quarter to take a one-point 46-45 lead with just over six minutes left in the quarter. South Florida, however, re-grouped and got the lead back to double-digits on a driving layup by Tsineke with just under three minutes left in the quarter. The Bulls did not look back as they extended their lead to as many as 18 points, 74-56, in the fourth quarter on a Carla Brito layup with 3:35 left in the contest.
 
Tennessee 99, UCF 64 – Box Score
KNOXVILLE – The UCF women’s basketball team fell to the Tennessee on Wednesday night in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Knights fall to 6-3 with the loss while the Lady Vols improve to 7-5.
 
Three Knights scored in double figures – Mya Burns (12 pts), Laila Jewett (10 pts) and Sierra Godbolt (11 pts). UCF shot 34.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from behind the arc.
 
They made it to the free throw line 15 times, converting 12 tries.  UCF was only able to force six turnovers and converted those mistakes into just four points.
 
Tennessee had an all-around team effort in the win as every player on the team scored at least one point. Jordan Horston (15 pts) and Justine Pissott (14 pts) led the charge.
 
The Lady Vols shots 46.8 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep. Tennessee scored 22 points off of 16 UCF turnovers.
 
Middle Tennessee 68, Houston 61 – Box Score
MURFREESBORO– The University of Houston women's basketball team held Middle Tennessee scoreless over 7:33 of the fourth quarter, not allowing the Blue Raiders to score until the 6.8 second mark and outscored the hosts 19-6 in the final frame, but the Cougars' furious comeback fell short in the Murphy Center 68-61 on Wednesday.
 
Houston (2-9) shot the ball extremely well in the first quarter, connecting on 53.8 percent of its shots and then went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second quarter, but a 7-2 free throw difference in the first half helped Middle Tennessee (7-2) take a 37-30 lead into the locker rooms.
 
The Blue Raiders showed off their shooting efficiency in the second and third quarters, shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the two frames. The hosts shot 16 free throws in the third quarter, making 11 of them.
 
Houston shot a season-best 37.5 percent from three-point range but was unable to keep the Blue Raiders off the charity stripe, where the home team scored 22 points.
 
Playing through foul trouble, redshirt senior Britney Onyeje scored 10 points. Junior Laila Blair scored seven of her 10 first half points in the first quarter. Blair finished the game with 12 points.
 
Houston's fourth quarter comeback efforts were led by seniors De'Myla Brown (seven points) and Bria Patterson (six points), who accounted for 13 of Houston's 19 points in the fourth quarter.