Box Score BOX SCORE  SEASON STATS  CONFERENCE ONLY

TAMPA, Fla. (SMU) – SMU fell to USF, 85-62, on Saturday at the Yuengling Center in the final road game of the regular season.
 
Johnasia Cash led the Mustangs with a 15-point performance in the loss. The junior grabbed five boards and assisted on three buckets as she battled inside. Paige Bayliss added 11 points on a 5-of-7 shooting night. SMU bigs contributed 30 points on the day, as Florence Tshimanga added four points to the total.
 
The Mustang defense forced 17 USF turnovers but the Bulls were able to knock down shots at a 55% clip including 8-of-20 from behind the arc.
 
The game featured numerous fouls and trips to the line. The Mustangs knocked down 15-of-19 from the charity stripe while USF hit 15-of-23.
 
The Mustangs (12-15, 6-9) jumped on top of the Bulls early, opening the game on a 10-3 run in the first four minutes. USF rallied to tie the score by the end of the quarter and led by three at the half. The Mustangs defense carried them in the first half with 12 forced turnovers.
 
USF (18-11, 10-5) used the third quarter to distance themselves from the Mustangs, extending the led to as many as 18. SMU was able to knock a few off near the end to put the Bull edge at 14 heading to the fourth.
 
Ariana Whitfield provided a spark for the Mustangs at the beginning on the fourth. The junior guard dropped in seven quick points and assisted on another bucket as the Bulls saw their league shrink to 12. USF erased the momentum with a quick 10-0 run and coasted to the close.
 
Amber Bacon added 11 points for SMU with five boards and a pair of assists. The sophomore hit 5-of-6 from the line. Reagan Bradley had four steals and 5 rebounds. Bradley sits three assists shy of a top-10 singles season output.
 
The rebounding battle proved to be crucial in the contest. USF won the battle on the boards, 43-26.
 
USF's Bethy Bununga contributed 13 points and 16 rebounds while Elena Tsinke proved hard to stop with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
 
The Mustangs return home on Monday for the regular-season finale against Memphis. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.