Written By USF Athletics Senior Writer Joey Johnston
TAMPA, Fla. – April 1, 2025 – South Florida’s Sammie Puisis has developed a reputation as one of the nation’s most dangerous 3-point shooters. Thursday night at San Antonio, Texas — site of the NCAA Men’s Final Four — Puisis can flaunt her skills against an elite field of long-range bombers.
Puisis, who helped the Bulls to an American Athletic Conference Tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament bid, was selected for the 36th annual State Farm 3-Point Championship at Frost Bank Center (home of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs).
The competition, featuring eight 3-point shooters (women’s and men’s players), will air live on ESPN at 7 p.m.
Immediately afterward, Puisis will return to Tampa — the site of the NCAA Women’s Final Four — to participate in Saturday’s Lilly Women’s College All-Star Game at Hillsborough Community College. The 3 p.m. game will be shown on ESPN2 (general admission tickets are $25).
“I’m excited,” said Puisis, who ranked fifth nationally in total 3-point makes (106) and sixth in made 3-pointers per game (3.2). “I’ve only been in this type of competition once before and that was at the McDonald’s All-American Game (after her high-school career).
“It’s different, grabbing the ball off the rack instead of getting a pass. You’ve got to have the right rhythm and I will be practicing that. After that, it’s just a matter of doing what I’ve always done. Trusting in the process and making my shots.”
Each player competes head-to-head against an opposing shooter and gets 25 shots over 60 seconds — four balls (worth one point each) at five spots around the 3-point arc, including a two-point “money ball’’ to conclude each rack — with the women’s winner taking on the men’s winner for the overall title.
“Sammie can shoot it, so we’re all looking forward to her representing USF,’’ Bulls coach Jose Fernandez said. “You get hot and who knows what can happen? And we have certainly seen it where Sammie gets hot.”
In 1992, USF’s Angie Snyder finished third at Minneapolis in the first 3-point contest that involved women’s players. Snyder set the USF record for career 3-point shooting (44.5 %).
“There’s no defense on you,’’ Snyder said then. “You get into your rhythm and it shouldn’t be a problem.’’
Thursday night, Puisis gets her shot.
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South Florida women’s basketball has made 19 postseason tournament appearances and had 10 NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 25 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided the Bulls to 12 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2008-09 WNIT championship, and has won 485 career games, and is the all-time wins leader in the American Athletic Conference.
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