Monday, November 22
No. 23/22 South Florida 71, No. 9 Oregon 62
Elisa Pinzan had a career-high 26 points to go with 10 assists while No. 23 South Florida scored 28 points off turnovers to beat No. 9 Oregon 71-62 in Monday's third-place game at the inaugural women's Battle 4 Atlantis.
Sydni Harvey added 22 points for the Bulls (4-2), who repeatedly got their hands in passing lanes for deflections that kept interrupting the Ducks' attempts to establish any kind of rhythm. South Florida was quick to capitalize, too, including a run of three straight scores after turnovers during a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that stretched the lead to 17.
From there, South Florida had to hold off a late burst by Oregon that helped the Ducks (3-2) get as close as 59-55 on Sedona Prince's three-point play with 47.1 seconds left. But South Florida went 12 for 12 at the line from there to clinch it, with Harvey hitting the first four and then Pinzan making the final eight.
Sydney Parrish scored 15 points to lead Oregon, which committed a season-high 25 turnovers in a mistake-filled performance that helped South Florida get 16 more shots for the game.
Pinzan also came up with key shots, including a long banked-in 3-pointer from near the USF bench to beat the horn ending the third quarter.
She scored eight points in the 10-0 run, starting when she brought the ball up after yet another Oregon turnover and pulled up for a straightaway 3 with no defender anywhere near her. She followed with another 3, arms raised in jubilation, moments later then scored on a runout to make it 58-41 with 5:10 left.
When this was over, she led the screaming celebration with a sprint to the bench where the Bulls danced around after beating a ranked foe.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had a season-high 17 points for South Florida while also grabbing seven rebounds and blocking three shots, both game highs.
South Florida's Elena Tsineke was one of five players named to the Inaugural Bad Boy Mowers All-Tournament Team. Joining Tsineke was Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Zia Cooke (South Carolina), Paige Bueckers (UConn), and Taylor Robertson (Oklahoma).
Arkansas (RV) 65, SMU 58
Savannah Wilkinson posted a career-high 20 points with 10 rebounds for a fourth straight double-double. She was one of three Mustangs in double figures scoring, but the SMU women's basketball team lost at Arkansas, 65-58, Monday night.
"We know what we're going to get from Savannah game in and game out. She works hard on both ends of the floor, and is just a great competitor," SMU head coach Toyelle Wilson stated. "She's been playing at a high level, and these are the kinds of performances we knew she was capable of when she came to SMU."
Kayla White scored 12 points for SMU, and Sydne Wiggins finished with 11 points, going 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Wilkinson was 10-for-17 from the field to reach 20 points for the first time in her career, scoring 14 in the second half. SMU shot 39.7 from the field, while the Razorbacks finished with a 39.1 shooting percentage. The Mustangs held Arkansas 10 percentage points below their average, allowing a season-low four 3's on 20 attempts, 20.0 percent.
SMU held Arkansas to its lowest points total of the season, and Razorbacks leading scorer Samara Spencer was limited to a season low six points. The Mustangs were even with the Razorbacks on the boards, with both teams pulling down 40, and SMU had 31 on the defensive end of the floor, limiting Arkansas to just 13 second-chance opportunities.
"Coming in, we wanted to focus on our transition defense, defending the 3-point line, and rebounding. The girls were locked in the whole game, and executed the defensive game plan. Arkansas is capable of putting up points, and we gave ourselves a chance to win with our defensive effort," Wilson explained.
SMU (2-2) trailed Arkansas, 4-1 and receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll, by seven points at halftime. The Mustangs scored 18 points to win the third quarter, a high by either team at that point, but could only cut the lead by two, trailing 46-41 after 30 minutes of action.
Arkansas extended the lead to as many as 14 points midway through the fourth quarter, its largest lead of the game. SMU answered with a 12-3 run to cut the lead to five, 61-56, with 2:37 left to play. Wilkinson accounted for eight of the 12 points during the run. Trailing by seven with 23 seconds left, Wilkinson took a 3 from the top of the key that just missed, and Arkansas dribbled out the clock for the win.