TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Bethy Mununga scored 23 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, both personal bests in her two years at South Florida, and the No. 21 Bulls pulled away from East Carolina 71-58 on Saturday.
Mununga, a junior college transfer, controlled the inside, especially in the second half when she outrebounded the Pirates 15-12 and scored 11 points. The senior, who spent her first two years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, has four double-doubles this season and 13 at USF.
Sydni Harvey added 11 points and Maria Alvarez 10 for the Bulls (7-1, 4-0 American Athletic Conference), who have won six straight.
Sierra DaCosta and Lashonda Monk had 13 points apiece for East Carolina (5-4, 3-1), which had won four straight. Taniyah Thompson added 12 points.
Mununga had four points as USF scored the last five of the second quarter to lead 32-28 at the half. Monk and Thompson combined for a 9-0 run that put the Pirates on top 37-34 midway through the third quarter. But Mununga scored six points during a 13-2 run and the Bulls led 47-41 going into the fourth quarter.
After an ECU bucket, USF took control with nine-straight points as part of a 15-3 run and led by 15 with 5:11 left.
Mununga was 9 of 12 from the line and Harvey 8 of 10 as the Bulls made 28 of 36 free throws, outscoring East Carolina by 17.
___
More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
