Thursday, February 24
| South Florida (RV) 47, Wichita State 46 |
Box Score |
South Florida (RV) 47, Wichita State 46
Elisa Pinzan hit one of two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in the game and South Florida overcame a 13-point second-quarter deficit as the Bulls pulled out a hard-fought 47-46 win at Wichita State on Thursday night.
The win improves South Florida to 20-7 overall and 10-3 in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' 20th win marks the 10th time in program history, all coming during the Jose Fernandez coaching era. South Florida last posted a 20-win season during the 2017-18 campaign (26-8). The Shockers drop to 13-14 on the year and 4-10 in The American.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds for the Bulls. Bethy Mununga scored nine points along with eight rebounds and Pinzan and Maria Alvarez had eight points apiece.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 13 points, 30-17, with 44 seconds left in the first half. South Florida, however, came out of the locker room for the third quarter swinging, outscoring Wichita State 9-2 to cut the Shockers' lead to just four, 32-28, entering the fourth quarter. During that third-quarter run Pinzan and Mununga each scored four points, including Pinzan's three-pointer with just over six minutes left that snapped a 0-for-13 stretch from behind the three-point arc.
South Florida regained the lead, 34-33, for the first time since the first quarter on a three-pointer by Alvarez just over one minute into the final stanza.
The Bulls took their largest lead of the night, 42-36, with 6:20 remaining on another Alvarez trey. Wichita State, however, put together its own 8-0 run over a three-plus minute stretch to find itself back on top, 44-42, with just under three minutes remaining. That was the last time the Shockers led the rest of the night. Fankam Mendjiadeu leveled the game at 44-all with a rebound putback and then put the Green and Gold up with a driving layup in the paint.
Trajata Colbert hit two free throws for the Shockers with 10 seconds left to tie the game at 46 before Pinzan sealed the game.
Thursday's game was the second meeting between the two teams in three days. South Florida defeated Wichita State, 61-57, on Tuesday night in Tampa, a contest that was rescheduled from Jan. 9 when the Shockers had to postpone due to health and safety protocols within the program.