Saturday, Nov. 29
Highlights
Florida Gulf Coast 81, USF 77
The No. 21/20 University of South Florida women's basketball team placed three players in double figures, including a career-high 19 points from Elena Tsineke, but Florida Gulf Coast proved to be too much down the stretch as the Eagles handed the Bulls an 81-77 loss on day two of the 2019 Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya Convention Center. USF falls to 5-3 on the year, while FGCU improves to 7-1.
Tsineke, who started her first collegiate game, was 5-for-9 (55.5 percent) from the field, including 2-for-4 (50.0 percent) from behind the three-point arc, and 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) from the free-throw line. She also had two assists and two steals in the loss.
Maria Alvarez added 14 points and a career-high six assists, while Tamara Henshaw chipped in with a season-high tying 10 points and a season-best nine rebounds. Bethy Mununga tied her career-high, for the fifth time this season, with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Memphis 72, Kansas State 68
Led by sophomore Jamirah Shutes' career-high 27 points and a double-double by Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, the University of Memphis women's basketball team defeated Kansas State in a thrilling opening game at the 2019 Junkanoo Jam in Bimini, Bahamas by a score of 72-68.
The Tigers will compete in the championship of the Bimini Division Saturday afternoon at 5:45 p.m. CT. Memphis takes on the winner of No. 15/16 Michigan State and LSU.
Memphis used a 24-4 run after the first media timeout of the third quarter to turn a nine-point deficit into an 11-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Kansas State battled back in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to two with 1:38 remaining before senior Gazmyne Herndon answered with a two-point basket in the paint to put the Tigers back up by four. The Tigers made three free throws in the final 18 seconds of the game to seal Memphis' first victory over a Power 5 opponent since Dec. 16, 2017 at Vanderbilt.
The Tigers shot 46.8 percent from the floor compared to a 40.8 clip by the Wildcats. In addition to Fankam Mendjiadeu, Keke Hunter pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds.
Western Kentucky 76, Tulsa 63
Kendrian Elliott, Rebecca Lescay, Desiree Lewis and Addison Richards all scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough as Tulsa dropped a 76-63 decision to Western Kentucky on Friday afternoon in the first game of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif. TU fell to 3-3 on the season, while WKU moved to 5-1 overall.
Elliott led the Golden Hurricane with 14 points, while Lescay added 12, and Lewis and Richards both had 10 points. Lewis also pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds, while Alexis Gaulden had four assists and two steals.
Western Kentucky outscored the Golden Hurricane 26-16 in the second quarter for a 15-point lead at the break, 46-31. Gaulden had eight points at halftime, while Richards added seven.
Tulsa came out fired up in the third quarter, going on a 10-4 run to pull within nine, 50-41, at the 5:42 mark, but the Hilltoppers outscored TU, 12-4, to close out the frame with a 62-45 advantage.
TU won the fourth quarter, 18-14, but the Hurricane couldn't overcome the deficit for the final 13-point loss.
Charlotte 60, Tulane 56
The Tulane University women's basketball team fell against Charlotte, 60-56, at the Puerto Rico Clasico.
Tulane (3-5) outshot Charlotte (6-1) .333-.167 from three, but the 49ers took a .323-.283 edge from the floor. The Green Wave logged 11 assists and 41 rebounds, while Charlotte had nine assists and 52 rebounds. Junior Krystal Freeman led all players with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Mia Heide added eight rebounds and junior Sierra Cheatham was second on the team with nine points.
Tulane opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and held the 49ers to six points in the third quarter to cut Charlotte's lead to 40-39 going into the fourth.
After sophomore Erin Gutierrez took it coast-to-coast to open the final quarter, the Green Wave took a 41-40 lead. Charlotte responded with a 9-0 run to take a 49-41 lead with five minutes left in the game. After trading free throws, Cheatham hit a three to cut the 49ers' lead to 50-46.
Freeman hit a jumper and Gutierrez hit two free throws and Charlotte made a layup and four free throws to make the score 57-50 with 20 seconds left. Gutierrez hit a layup to make the score 57-52. Charlotte responded with one free throw then Cheatham hit a three with six second left to make it 58-55. Two Charlotte free throws and a Tulane free throw set the final score at 60-56.
Houston 96, California Baptist 75
The University of Houston Women's Basketball team dominated in the paint and on the glass in a 96-75 win over Cal Baptist at the Greater Victoria Invitational.
Houston will advance to the Consolation Championship against San Francisco on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Houston jumped out with intensity in the opening minutes of the game, taking advantage of its height advantage and hammering the Lancers in the paint. Julia Blackshell-Fair and Tatyana Hill played with a purpose, combining for 21 of the Cougars 26 first quarter points. The Houston defense scored 11 points off of turnovers in the first 10 minutes and dominated the glass, scoring 20 of its 26 points in the post to set the tone early.
The Cougars would counter the sharpshooting of the Lancers by continuing to play in the paint. Cal Baptist hit five three-pointers in the second quarter to keep things close as Houston shot 58 percent from the field, including a pair of three-pointers. Before the halftime break, Blackshell-Fair and Hill would combine for 32 points and Houston would outscore CBU 20-8 in the paint.
Blackshell-Fair led Houston with a career-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. KeAjsa Peace also hit a career-high with 11 points in the contest.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
