Wednesday, Jan. 13
Highlights
No. 16/17 USF 72, Tulane 53
Elisa Pinzan had 22 points, seven assists and a career-best six steals to lead No. 16/17 South Florida to a 72-53 victory over Tulane on Wednesday night. It was the 16th consecutive win for the Bulls over the Green Wave, dating back to Jan. 4, 2015.
The Bulls (10-1, 7-0 American) have won nine straight games, which equals the longest winning streak in program history, and are off to their best conference start in program history. Tulane (7-4, 3-3) ended a three-game winning streak.
Pinzan, from Murano, Italy, shot 7 of 17 from the floor and was one-point shy of a career best. It was her third career 20-point outing and she also surpassed 300 career assists (303).
Maria Alvarez (Bal Harbour, Fla.) and Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) added 12 points apiece for the Bulls. Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.) had 10 points.
Pinzan and Alvarez combined for seven of the Bulls' 10 3-pointers.
Arsula Clark scored 20 points for the Green Wave. Jerkaila Jordan had 11 points and Krystal Freeman 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Bulls broke the game open with a 27-11 third quarter, stretching their lead to 57-32. Pinzan had eight points and four assists.
UCF 58, East Carolina 51
Balanced scoring led UCF to a 58-51 road victory over ECU in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday evening.
UCF (6-2, 4-1 AAC) had five players in double figures to top ECU (5-6, 3-3 AAC) in a midweek matchup between two of the American Athletic Conference's top defensive teams.
The teams traded baskets in the first quarter, but the Pirates held a 15-13 after the first 10 minutes. The Black and Gold limited ECU to just eight points in the second frame and five Knights combined for 14 points to take a 27-23 advantage into halftime.
UCF turned to its post players in the third quarter, as Brittney Smith and Masseny Kaba combined for nine of the Knights' 14 points in the period. UCF shot 50 percent from the field and held a 41-38 edge.
ECU chipped away at UCF's lead to knot the game at 44-44 with 5:26 remaining, but baskets from Kaba and Diamond Battles pushed UCF back in front for good. The Knights maintained a five-point lead for the final two minutes to earn the road victory.
The Knights forced the Pirates into 15 turnovers and converted those into 17 points. UCF also had 10 steals and held a 37-30 rebounding advantage.
Alisha Lewis finished just shy of her career high as she led the Knights with 12 points. Masseny Kaba, Brittney Smith, Courtajia Sanders and Diamond Battles each had 11 for the Black and Gold.
Sanders was UCF's leading rebounder with eight boards. Battles led the Knights with five assists while Sanders and Lewis each had four assists and three steals. Kaba and Smith spilt UCF's four blocks evenly.
Houston 75, Tulsa 49
The University of Houston Women's Basketball Team earned its first victory of 2021 with a 75-49 win over Tulsa inside the Fertitta Center on Wednesday afternoon, breaking a three-game losing streak.
Houston (6-4, 3-3 AAC) put on a stellar defensive performance. Tulsa's 49 points were the lowest the Cougars have allowed this season and in the final quarter, Tulsa (3-4, 2-4 AAC) managed to put up only four points, the fewest points Houston's allowed in a regulation quarter since Jan. 26, 2019 (six points against Tulsa). It was also the largest win since that same game against Tulsa, when Houston won by 32 points.
Houston had three players hit double-digit scoring, with two of them posting a double-double. Julia Blackshell-Fair put up 20 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, and the third of her career. Jazmaine Lewis posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a career high 10 rebounds. Dymond Gladney scored 14 points, six of those off of 3-point shots.
Tulsa was led by Wyvette Mayberry with a team-high 15 points.
Houston opened up the game with nine unanswered points, seven of which came from Gladney, to gain an early lead. The UH defense was running on all cylinders not allowing Tulsa to score its first point of the game until the 6:08 mark. The first quarter was filled with scoring as six Cougars made their way onto the box score, highlighted by three-pointers from Laila Blair, Miya Crump and Gladney propelling UH to a 23-10 lead at the break.
Blackshell-Fair paced the Cougars in the second quarter, leading all scorers with eight points. Both teams found ways to score, but the UH separated itself by strong play from the Cougars reserves. The Houston bench outscored Tulsa's 8-3.
Tulsa gained some momentum in the third quarter, going on an 8-0 run to bring the score to 52-45 at the end of the quarter frame. Foul trouble plagued the Cougars as they sent Tulsa to the line where they hit 6-of-7 free throw attempts.
UH took back control of the game in the final quarter, anchored by Lewis' six points and five rebounds. The sophomore forward was unstoppable in the paint, helping UH outscore Tulsa 12-0 down low. Houston completely shut down the Tulsa offense, not allowing a single field goal from the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa's lone points of the fourth quarter would come from the free throw line, as seven Cougars scored in the final 10 minutes of play.
Cincinnati 71, Temple 65
IImar'I Thomas posted a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds and Jillian Hayes produced a career-high 20 points as Cincinnati (3-7, 2-4 American) earned a 71-65 win over Temple (4-4, 4-1) on Wednesday at McGonigle Hall.
Thomas and Temple's Mia Davis, sharing AAC Preseason Player of the Year accolades, didn't disappoint.
Thomas registered her ninth 20-point scoring game and third double-double of the season, coming alive for 17 second-half points. She shot 8-of-15 from the floor and made all eight of her free throw attempts.
Davis finished with 20 points, shooting 7 of 21 from the field with six rebounds.
Jasha Clinton led Temple with 23 points with four 3-pointers and five assists.
Destiny Haymer added 11 points with a career-high seven rebounds and game-best eight assists for the Bearcats, who handed the Owls their first league defeat.
In a back-and-fourth affair that saw 16 lead changes and neither team leading by more than six points throughout, Hayes stepped forward to help guide the Bearcats to victory with 10 fourth-quarter points.
UC found itself trailing 61-58 with 4:55 remaining when Hayes heated up. She connected on a jumper and scored on a fastbreak layup to give the Bearcats a 62-61 lead with 3:45 left.
Emani Mayo made a transition layup to give the Owls a 63-62 advantage at 2:41 remaining in what ended up being Temple's last basket.
Hayes hit a wide-open 17-footer and Thomas converted a three-point play as UC built a 67-63 with 52 seconds left.
After Temple pulled within 67-65 with 42 seconds to go on a pair of free throws by Kash Ayuso, Hayes answered back with a 12-foot jumper and Thomas hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.
UC won the battle of the boards 44-32 and registered four blocks. Temple proved dangerous from the outside with seven 3-pointers.
All eight UC players that entered the game scored, including freshman Riane Burton who made her collegiate debut, scoring two points with a rebound and an assist in 11 minutes.