Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored her 1,000th career point and nets a career-high 26 points in the win; Four Bulls in all scored in double-figures.
Game Details
RV/RV USF 90, Florida A&M 50
USF (2-0), Florida A&M (0-2)
Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
TAMPA (Nov. 11, 2022) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team had four players score in double figures en route to a dominating 90-50 win over Florida A&M on Friday night in the Yuengling Center. The win improves the Bulls to 2-0 on the year while the Rattlers fall to 0-2.
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored her 1,000th career point on the first basket of the game and finished the night with a career-high 26 points and seven rebounds, and Florida State transfer and former McDonald’s All-American Sammie Puisis tied her career-high with her second-consecutive 20-point outing.
Joining Fankam Mendjiadeu and Puisis in double digits was American Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year Elena Tsineke with 14 points and Carla Brito with 11 points. Tsineke also dished out a career-high tying seven assists in the win.
The game was never in doubt for South Florida as the Bulls shot 54.7 percent (35-for-64) from the field and just under 40 percent (11-for-28) from three-point range, including 7-for-14 (50.0 percent) from behind the arc in the second half.
Not only was the Green and Gold clicking on all cylinders offensively, but defensively as well holding Florida A&M to just 8.3 percent shooting in the final quarter while also allowing only six points in the final 10 minutes of the contest. South Florida also forced the Rattlers into 27 turnovers leading to 32 points.
Notable
- Friday’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 2-0 with this lineup.
- South Florida improves its record in the series with Florida A&M to 7-11 and has won four of the last five games against the Rattlers.
- The Bulls’ 27 turnovers forced is the most since turning over Oregon 25 times on Nov. 22, 2021 in the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantic.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu reached the 1,000-point plateau combining her time at Memphis (645) and South Florida (379).
- Elena Tsineke’s 14 points against the Rattlers mark her 60th career double-figure scoring game in her 82nd career game with the Bulls.
- Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 26 points mark her ninth outing of 20 points or more.
- Daniela Gonzalez recorded six points and Priscilla Williams had five points in her first action with the Bulls.
Up Next
South Florida returns to the Yuengling Center on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+) when it faces its second-straight Florida foe in Jacksonville. The Bulls close 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 –
