Fernandez recorded his 119th career league win in AAC play surpassing UConn’s Geno Auriemma; Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu pours in 21 points while Elena Tsineke and Sammie Puisis added 15 and 14, respectively.
Game Details
No. 25/22 USF 65, SMU 63
USF (22-4, 11-0 AAC), SMU (14-7, 5-4 AAC)
Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
South Florida Athletics Communications contributed to this recap.
DALLAS (Feb. 4, 2023) (AP) — Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 21 points, Sammie Puisis had a double-double, and No. 25/22 South Florida rallied past SMU 65-63 on Saturday.
USF coach Jose Fernandez won for the 119th time in the American Athletic Conference and passed UConn coach Geno Auriemma for first place on the conference list.
A quick 7-0 run capped by Marina Asensio’s 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter put the Bulls up 57-55, their first lead of the second half. Upset-minded SMU responded with two 3-pointers from Jasmine Smith and the Mustangs led 63-59 with 4:07 remaining but would not score again.
USF scored the next six points, capped by back-to-back layups from Fankam Mendjiadeu for a 65-63 lead with 59 seconds left. Still trailing by two, SMU forced a turnover with 16 seconds left but Chantae Embry missed a driving layup and Puisis grabbed the rebound with five seconds left. SMU came up with another steal but Aerial Wilson blocked Smith’s 3-point try as time was running out.
Puisis had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Elena Tsineke scored 15 points for the Bulls (22-4, 11-0). Fankam Mendjiadeu grabbed eight rebounds.
South Florida won its 12th straight and matched the 2020-21 team for the program’s best start in AAC play. The Bulls had a 42-24 rebounding advantage and made all 16 of their free throw attempts.
Smith scored 26 points and Savannah Wilkinson and Reagan Bradley scored 14 each for the Mustangs (14-7, 5-4).
SMU scored the final six points of the first quarter to take an 18-8 lead and Bradley opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer for a 13-point lead. The Bulls battled back and took a 30-28 lead when Fankam Mendjiadeu completed a three-point play with 1:43 left in the first half. The score was tied at 32 at halftime.
After an early tie, SMU led throughout the third quarter, but never by more than six. The Bulls were within 47-45 after a steal and fast-break layup by Asensio before Wilkinson scored four of the Mustangs’ last six points of the quarter for a 53-48 lead heading to the fourth.
Notable
- Saturday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elena Tsineke, G Aerial Wilson, F Sammie Puisis, F Carla Brito and F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu … South Florida is 20-4 with this lineup.
- The win over SMU improves the Bulls’ record against the Mustangs to 15-1 in the all-time series … The win for South Florida is the third straight over SMU.
- The Bulls’ win over the Mustangs marks the 12th straight of the season, the second longest in program history, just one shy of tying the current record of the 13-straight set during the 2020-21 season and two from surpassing and setting a new mark for consecutive wins.
- In addition, South Florida extended its program-record conference regular season winning streak to 16 games dating back to last season.
- Elena Tsineke’s 15 points against SMU mark her 81st career double-figure scoring game in her 105th career game with the Bulls.
Up Next
The Bulls get a week off before returning to the Yuengling Center to face Houston on Feb. 12 (2 p.m. ESPN2). The game against Houston will start a three-game in a five-game stretch for South Florida that will be played on its home floor to end the regular season. The stretch includes games at Central Florida (Feb. 15, 7 p.m. ESPN+), against SMU (Feb. 18, 5 p.m. ESPN+), Tulsa (Feb. 22, 7 p.m. ESPN+) and at Cincinnati (March 1, 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 $9.99 monthly or $99.99 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 –
