USF Athletics

No. 1-Seed USF Looks for Its First AAC Tournament Title Tonight Against UCF

March 11, 2021

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• Game Notes (PDF)

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 10, 2021) – The No. 20-ranked, and top-seeded, University of South Florida women's basketball team looks for its first-ever conference tournament title tonight when it faces UCF in the championship game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. Tip-off at Dickies Arena is slated for 10 p.m. ET and the game can be seen live on ESPNU.  
 
The Bulls' appearance in the championship game marks the fifth for the Green and Gold in their eight years in The American
 
Click here for the American Athletic Conference Tournament Central page.
Click here for a printable AAC Tournament bracket.
 
The Bulls won their first conference regular-season title on March 2, with their thrilling 65-62 win over UCF in the Yuengling Center.
 
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GAME 21 | THURS., MARCH 11 | 10 P.M. ET | ESPNU
AAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP | FORT WORTH, TEXAS | DICKIES ARENA
 
Game Notes: USF
Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Stream: ESPNU                                       
Eric Frede (PxP), Christy Thomaskutty (Analyst)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (iHeartRadio/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com/StatBroadcast
Series: USF leads series, 29-14
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
 
(1) No. 20/18 USF BULLS | 17-3
Last Game: March 10 vs. Tulane (W, 51-47)
Next Game: Postseason TBA
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 390-275 (21st season)
at USF: Same
 
(2) UCF KNIGHTS | 16-3
Last Game: March 10 vs. Houston (W, 61-39)
Next Game: Postseason TBA
Head Coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Alma Mater: Iowa, 1990
Career Record: 347-151 (15th season)
at UCF: 106-43 (Fifth season)
 
QUICK HITS
- Top-seeded and No. 20/18 USF - the American Athletic Conference regular-season champs - faces second-seeded UCF in the championship game of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday ... Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET (ESPNU). 
 
- USF, which is taking part in its fifth AAC championship game in eight years, looks to improve to 18-3 just the second time in program history ... They also accomplished the feat during the 2016-17 season.
 
- USF had another battle on its hands, pulling out a 51-47 win on Wednesday against the four-seed, Tulane ... Sydni Harvey, Elisa Pinzan, and Maria Alvarez all netted 12 points in the win ... Bethy Mununga grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
- Elena Tsineke leads the Bulls in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per game ... She is joined in double figures by Sydni Harvey (11.4) and Bethy Mununga (10.6) ... Mununga leads in rebounding (13.1).
 
THE SERIES AGAINST UCF
- Thursday's game marks the 44th meeting between USF and UCF in the War on I-4, with the Bulls holding a 29-14 series lead, dating back to the inaugural meeting in January of 1973.
 
- The Bulls have won 23 of the last 29 games over the Knights, however, snapped a four-game losing streak with their win over UCF on March 2.
 
UP NEXT
The winner of the South Florida vs. UCF semifinal game on Thursday will earn the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
 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.