Sunday, February 27
South Florida (RV) 68, East Carolina 60
The University of South Florida women's basketball team got 18 points and a career-high-tying 17 rebounds from Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and 18 points, and nine assists from Elisa Pinzan as the Bulls picked up a big American Athletic Conference road win at East Carolina on Sunday, 68-60.
The Bulls, who have won four straight and 12 of their last 15 games, improve to 21-7 on the year and 11-3 in The American. The Pirates fall to 11-16 overall and 4-10 in league play.
In addition to Fankam Mendjiadeu and Pinzan, Elena Tsineke added nine points – 10 shy of 1,000 for her career – and Bethy Mununga chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds. Mununga became just the fifth player in program history to grab 900 career rebounds.
The Bulls held their biggest lead of the game in the first quarter, 14-4, on a three-point shot by Maria Alvarez with just over two minutes left in the first stanza, but the contest tightened up with seven ties and six lead changed the rest of the way.
The Bulls led 30-27 at the half and 45-41 at the end of the third quarter, but Fankam Mendjiadeu took the contest over scoring 13 of her 18 points in the second half, including seven points in the fourth quarter where South Florida outscored East Carolina, 23-19, to secure the win. In addition, Pinzan logged 12 of her 18 points in the second stanza, including a 6-for-6 clip from the free-throw line in the final quarter, all coming in the last 38 seconds of the game.
Tulsa 61, Wichita State 49
Tulsa used a strong fourth quarter to capture its first season sweep of the Wichita State Shockers in school history with a 61-49 Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
Sophomore Wyvette Mayberry led the way with 15 points and seniors Maddie Bittle and Rebecca Lescay added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Temira Poindexter had a team-high six assists and Jessika Evans led the Hurricane with four steals.
Wichita State scored the first four points of the final period to take a 45-44 lead, but the Hurricane put on the clamps defensively in outscoring the Shockers 17-6 to close out the game with the 12-point victory.
Tulsa forced 22 Shocker turnovers and scored 22 points off those takeaways, while also outscoring the visitors 22-16 in the paint and 11-3 for fast-break points. WSU shot 37-percent from the field, while Tulsa shot just 34-percent while taking 13 more shots.
Maya Mayberry hit two straight treys to start the second half for a 10-point Hurricane lead at 32-22. The Shockers trimmed its lead and took a one-point advantage, 36-35, at the 4:32 mark of the third quarter. Bittle scored Tulsa's next five points to retake the lead, 40-36, at the 3:27 mark. Tulsa held a six-point lead at the end of three quarters 44-38.
The Shockers took its fourth quarter one-point lead at the 7:22 mark before the Hurricane went on its scoring run. Lescay's driving layup at the 7:04 mark began Tulsa's 17-6 run to finish the contest.
Wichita State jumped out to a 5-0 start before Tulsa got on the board after the first two minutes elapsed. Tulsa took a 9-7 lead at the 5:02 mark on a Delanie Crawford three-pointer to start a 12-2 run to take a 18-9 lead.
The Hurricane held on to an 18-12 lead after the first period behind Crawford's seven points.
The second quarter wasn't as kind to the Hurricane scoring only eight points but went into halftime with a 26-22 lead. The two teams combined for just seven points in the final seven minutes of the period.
Tulsa led for 14:34 of the first half and shot 41-percent from the field, but just 18-percent on 3-of-16 from three-point range.