TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and USF coach Jose Fernandez got his 400th career win as the No. 16 Bulls beat High Point 62-46 on Friday night.
Fernandez — who was, in November of 2000, elevated from recruiting coordinator to head coach after just months at USF — took over a moribund program that hadn’t finished better than one-game over .500 since moving to Division I in 1982. After going 4-24 in his first season, Fernandez has helped the Bulls to seven NCAA Tournament bids, 16 postseason appearances in the last 17 years, and nine 20-victory seasons.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Fernandez dead-panned after the game. “I should have a lot of wins.”
The Bulls missed their first seven field-goal attempts and committed two turnovers in the first 5 minutes as High Point (3-6) scored eight of the first nine points but USF closed the first quarter on a 13-4 run to take a two-point lead. Nakyah Terrell made a layup to open the scoring in the second and make it 14-all but Bethy Mununga answered with a 3-pointer and South Florida led the rest of the way.
Mununga shot 6 of 8 from the field and finished with 16 points for USF (8-3). Elena Tsineke added 14 points and five assists and Elisa Pinzan had 10 assists to go with two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Jensen Edwards made 7 of 11 overall, 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and finished with 17 points for High Point. The rest of the Panthers shot just 21% (8 of 38) from the field.
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