Newcomer Sammie Puisis leads the way with a career-high 20 points while Elena Tsineke had 15 points.
Game Details
RV/RV USF 87, Morehead State 40
USF (1-0), Morehead State (0-1)
Monday, Nov. 7, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TAMPA (Nov. 7, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team tipped off its highly anticipated season on Monday night with a dominating 87-40 win over Morehead State at the Yuengling Center.
The Bulls got a career and game-high 20 points from Florida State transfer and former McDonald’s All-American Sammie Puisis while American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Elena Tsineke added 15 points in the win. The duo led a total of four players in double figures that included Carla Brito’s 14 points in her collegiate debut and 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu.
South Florida jumped out quickly and never looked back as it led 18-6 after one quarter and 40-8 at the break. The eight points scored by the Eagles are tied for the fourth-fewest points scored in a half in program history. The Bulls lead never got below 32 in the second stanza and led by as many as 50 points in the final minutes of the game.
The Green and Gold showed tremendous balance across the box score with six of the nine players logging 20 or more minutes while eight of the nine players that saw time got into the scoring column.
In addition to the four double-figure scorers, South Florida got solid contributions from its five freshmen, which included Brito. Emma Johansson scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds and Janette Aarnio had eight points and four assists. Daniela Gonzalez and Marina Asensio had five points and five rebounds, and four points and three assists, respectively.
Aerial Wilson had a game-high seven assists while turning the ball over only two times at the point guard position.
The Bulls finished the night hitting 58.5 percent (31-for-53) from the field, including 46.2 percent (6-for-13) from behind the three-point arc. South Florida also held a plus-25 rebounding advantage on the Eagles (45-20)
Key Stat(s)
23-5 – South Florida used a 23-5 run over the last nine-plus minutes of the second quarter and into the third quarter to take a commanding lead in the contest.
87 – The Bulls’ 87 points are the most scored in a game since netting 99 against Temple on Feb. 9, 2020
Notable
- Tuesday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elena Tsineke, G Aerial Wilson, G Sammie Puisis, F Carla Brito and F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu … The Bulls are 1-0 with this lineup.
- The meeting with Morehead State was the first in the series, with the Bulls now leading 1-0.
- USF improves to 34-17 all-time in season openers … In addition, the Bulls have won nine straight season openers, are 11-3 in their last 14, and 19-5 in lid lifters over the past 24 years.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu fell just two points shy of scoring her 1,000th career point at both Memphis (645) and South Florida (353).
- Elena Tsineke’s 15 points against the Eagles mark her 59th career double-figure scoring game in her 81st career game with the Bulls.
- Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 12 points and 10 rebounds mark her 33rd career double-double and her eighth in a South Florida uniform.
Up Next
South Florida continues its season-opening four-game homestand on Friday when Florida A&M visits the Yuengling Center for a 6 p.m. (ESPN+) tip. The Bulls will also face Jacksonville on Nov. 13 (1 p.m., ESPN+) before closing out the home stretch against Alabama on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. (ESPN+).
Catch The Bulls on Bulls Unlimited & ESPN+
The majority of USF’s regular-season games will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform. The American Athletic Conference and ESPN began a new 12-year television rights agreement which started in 2020-21. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
In addition, all games this season will be broadcast live on USF Bulls Unlimited, with Darek Sharp (home and away) and Brigid Merenda (for home games only) on the call. Bulls Unlimited is available via the free Tune In app (search “Bulls Unlimited’’) and provides static-free quality whether you’re listening on your streaming device, laptop or desktop.
About USF Women’s Basketball
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South Florida recorded its 10th 20-win season during the 2021-22 campaign while playing in its sixth American Athletic Conference championship game in its nine years in the conference. The Bulls achieved their highest national ranking of the season when it checked in at No. 13 in the Nov. 30 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, and advanced to their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years.
USF has made 17 postseason tournament appearances and had eight NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 22 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to 10 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and has won over 400 career games. Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.
In 2021-22, the Bulls had three players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference Second Team) and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (All-Conference Second Team).
In addition, Tsineke and Mununga were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.
–#GoBulls –
