Elena Tsineke scored 17 points and Sammie Puisis added 14 points in the loss. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu grabs 17 boards.
Game Details
No. 8/10 NC State 65, RV/RV USF 57
USF (8-3), NC State (9-1)
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022 | 2 p.m. | ACC Network
Raleigh, N.C. | James T. Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum
(AP) RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 11, 2022) — Diamond Johnson scored 14 points before a first-half injury and short-handed No. 8 North Carolina State pieced together enough offense combined with tenacious defense to defeat South Florida 65-57 on Sunday.
Jakia Brown-Turner had 13 points and Camille Hobby 10 for N.C. State (9-1), which played a home game for the first time in nearly a month.
Johnson, a point guard, departed with a lower-body injury after making six of 10 shots. She scored 11 of N.C. State’s first 19 points before leaving with four minutes left in the first half with an apparent right ankle injury with the Wolfpack holding a 27-18 edge.
Johnson returned to the bench late in the third quarter in a walking boot.
The Wolfpack won its fifth in a row.
Elena Tsineke scored 17 points for South Florida (8-3), which faced its fourth consecutive Top 25 opponent. Sammie Puisis added 14 points, Carla Brito had 11 and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu added 10 points and 17 rebounds.
N.C. State’s lead dipped to five points early in the third quarter before it was extended to 50-39.
The Wolfpack led 34-25 at halftime, with the Bulls managing just eight second-quarter points, including Puisis’ 3 at the buzzer.
South Florida hit three 3s in the first quarter on the way to a 17-11 edge. Johnson posted the game’s next eight points, giving the Wolfpack a lead that wasn’t relinquished.
Notable
- Sunday’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 7-3 with this lineup.
- South Florida’s loss to NC State drops its record against the Wolfpack to 0-2 all-time.
- Sunday’s game against No. 8/10 NC State is South Florida’s fourth-straight contest against a member of the Top 25 (No. 22/23 Michigan, L, 63-58; No. 23/RV Villanova, L, 72-50; No. 22/18 Texas, W, 70-65)
- Elena Tsineke’s 17 points against NC State mark her 67th career double-figure scoring game in her 90th career game with the Bulls.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 10 points and 17 rebounds mark her 39th career double-double and her 14th in a South Florida uniform.
Up Next
Following Sunday’s game at NC State the Bulls will return to the Yuengling Center for two-straight home games, beginning with Marshall on Dec. 14 at 11 a.m. The game with the Thundering Herd is the Bulls’ annual Education Day game. South Florida closes its short two-game homestand on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. when La Salle visits the Yuengling Center.
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
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women’s basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
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 –
