Game Details
No. 4 Baylor 67, USF 62
Baylor (2-0), USF (1-1)
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, DEC. 1, 2020 – Maria Alvarez returned to action in a big way as the Bulls proved they can hang tough with one of the nation's top teams in a 67-62 loss to No. 4 Baylor at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday night.

Alvarez (Bal Harbour, Fla.) scored 16 of her team-high 18 points in the second half to help the Bulls (1-1) erase a 10-point deficit in their first of two top-10 matchups of the week. The sophomore guard went 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-6 from long range in her season debut after missing most of 2019-20 campaign with a knee injury.

Forward Bethy Mununga also was a force with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the 10^th double-double performance of her career. The senior from Zellik, Belgium tied things up twice in opening minutes of the fourth quarter and her second three during the stretch made it a 53-53 ballgame with 7:58 to play.

Baylor (2-0) went an 8-0 run, but the Bulls answered back with five straight points, including a pair of free throws from Sydney Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.). The junior guard finished with 11 points in her second straight double-digit scoring game of the season.

A jumper by Cristina Bermejo (Sant Just Desvern, Spain) and layup by Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) made it a three-point game again with 1:01 to play. The Lady Bears held on to become the 15^th women's program in Division I history to reach 1,000 wins.

Before an exciting finish, USF led for nearly 12 minutes of the first half, but Baylor scored 15 points off 14 turnovers by the Bulls and held a 29-28 advantage at the break.

Baylor opened the second half on a 10-2 run and led by 10 with 4:12 to play in the third quarter. From there, Alvarez caught fire and scored 11 of her 13 points in the period to spark the Bulls' late comeback.

Key Stats
50-37 – Baylor's rebounding advantage that included 24 offensive boards, which paved the way for 21 second-chance points.
18 – Baylor scored 19 points off 18 turnovers by the Bulls, who gave the ball away 14 times in the first half.
 
Notable

• USF's starting lineup for Tuesday included G Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy), G Elena Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece), G Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.), F Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.), and F Bethy Mununga (Zellik, Belgium). The Bulls have used the same starting lineup in each of their first two games this season.
• In addition to her 10^th career double-double, Bethy Mununga recorded the 18^th double-digit rebounding performance of her career.
• Baylor improved to 4-0 in its all-time series with USF.

 
Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on the Bulls' ability to battle back against No. 4 Baylor:
"I told our kids that these types of games, there's a reason why we schedule them. I think our (players) did a great job when we were down 10 to respond because right now everything is great. We hadn't had any adversity whatsoever. They stuck together, got us back in the game. I think the biggest difference was that rebounding edge, the 50-37 and the 24 offensive rebounds. That was a big thing and the first half was very uncharacteristic for us, the amount of turnovers that we had. We had 14 turnovers and we finished with 18. Against very good basketball teams, you can't give them extra possessions. But you know what, we've gotta put this one in the rear-view mirror, put it behind us. We're off tomorrow and Thursday we start getting ready for (No. 6) Mississippi State, that's all we can do."

Fernandez on sophomore guard Maria Alvarez, who scored 18 points in her season debut after missing the final 17 games of 2019-20 with a knee injury:
"It was great to have her back. I think she came off the bench and hit some big shots. It just shows the type of basketball player she is."

Up Next
USF wraps up its big week with another top-10 test against No. 6 Mississippi State on Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the Yuengling Center. Fans can watch the action live on ESPN+.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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 USF notched its ninth consecutive 19-win season and was poised for its ninth straight postseason appearance in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the end of the college basketball season. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Elena Tsineke and Elisa Pinzan. Tsineke was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, in addition to The American All-Freshman Team and Third Team All-Conference; while Pinzan was named a Third Team All-Conference selection.
 
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 20 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 350 games.