Sammie Puisis pours in 22 points and Elena Tsineke adds 14 points in the loss to the Wolverines.
Game Details
No. 22/23 Michigan 63, RV/RV USF 58
USF (7-1), Michigan (6-0)
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | FloHoops
Estero, Fla. | Hertz Arena
ESTERO, Fla. (Nov. 26, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team dropped its first game of the 2022-23 season falling to No. 22/23 Michigan, 63-58, on Saturday night in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. The Bulls, who fall to 7-1 on the year, will now face No. 23/RV Villanova in the third-place game on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Florida State transfer and former McDonald’s All-American Sammie Puisis scored a team-high 22 points, the fourth 20-point game of her career – all at South Florida – while Preseason American Athletic Conference Player of the year Elena Tsineke had 14 points and Carla Brito added 12 points. American Athletic Conference Preseason First Team selection Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Bulls led by as many as seven points late in the fourth quarter, 50-43, on a driving layup by Brito with just over nine minutes left in the game.
The Wolverines, however, put together a 12-4 run to retake the lead, 55-54, with 4:37 left in the contest, and despite Michigan not leading by more than three points until the final margin, South Florida was not able to take advantage of opportunities to regain the lead down the stretch.
Notable
- Saturday’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 6-1 with this lineup.
- South Florida and Michigan met for the first time on Saturday.
- Elena Tsineke’s 14 points against Michigan mark her 64th career double-figure scoring game in her 87th career game with the Bulls.
Up Next
South Florida will close out the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase against No. 23/RV Villanova at 5 p.m. on Sunday in the third-place game.
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 –
