No. 15 USF women clinch 1st AAC regular-season title

Elisa Pinzan scored 18 points with eight assists, Bethy Mununga had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 15 South Florida beat Central Florida 65-62 on Tuesday night for its first American Athletic Conference regular-season title.

Pinzan sank a 3-pointer for a 58-48 lead with 1:59 remaining and she made her next four free throws for another 10-point lead with 57 seconds left.

UCF's Alisha Lewis made two 3-pointers in the final 2:15, the last to get within 63-62 with 1.6 seconds left. Pinzan was fouled and she made two free throws before a heave at the buzzer was off the mark.

Elena Tsineke added 12 points for South Florida (15-2, 12-1). Shae Leverett grabbed 11 rebounds.

USF had runs of 11-0 and 7-0 in the first quarter to build an 18-5 lead. Another 13-3 spurt in the second quarter extended the Bulls' lead to 22 points.

Lewis scored 27 points with six 3-pointers for UCF (13-3, 11-2). Brittney Smith had 10 points and nine rebounds.

The teams are scheduled to face each other again on Thursday to conclude the regular season.