Fankam Mendjiadeu is recognized for the sixth time this season while earning her fourth Player of the Week honor; Gonzalez earns the Freshman of the Week honor for the first time.
TAMPA (Jan. 30, 2023) – University of South Florida women’s basketball standouts Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Daniela Gonzalez were recognized by the American Athletic Conference as the league’s Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, for the week ending Jan. 29, the conference announced on Monday. It marks Fankam Mendjiadeu’s sixth conference honor of the season and the fourth time she has earned Player of the Week, while Gonzalez earns Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career. In addition, it marks the third time this season that the Bulls have swept the league’s weekly awards.
Fankam Mendjiadeu helped the Bulls to a 2-0 record last week with wins at Tulsa (89-68) on Jan. 25 and at Memphis (67-62) on Jan. 28. The win over the Tigers extended South Florida’s winning streak to 10 games while also winning 12 of its last 13.
A 6-foot-4 forward from Nkongsamba, Cameroon, Fankam Mendjiadeu Averaged 21.0 points per game and 14.0 rebounds per contest in the two outings. She shot 56.3 percent (18-for-32) from the field and 6-for-10 (60.0 percent) from the free-throw line while also recording five assists and three blocked shots.
In addition, Fankam Mendjiadeu grabbed her 1,000th career rebound in the win over Memphis and finished the game with 1,004 for her career. During her career with the Tigers and at South Florida, she has 1,387 points (742 at USF) and 1,004 rebounds (536 at USF) entering Tuesday’s game at home against East Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN+).
Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 25 points against Tulsa on 64.7 percent (11-for-17) shooting from the field and 3-for-6 (50.0 percent) from the line. She also grabbed 15 rebounds and had four assists and two blocked shots.
Against Memphis, she scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from the field and a near-perfect 3-for-4 (75.0 percent) from the free-throw line.
Recently named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year Watch List and the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Midseason List, Fankam Mendjiadeu is second in The American in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game on the year and leads the conference, and is fourth in the nation, in rebounds per contest grabbing 12.5 rebounds per outing. In addition, her 301 total rebounds and her 18 double-doubles are both third in the nation.
Gonzalez averaged 10.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per outing in the two games while shooting 80.0 percent (8-for-10) from the field.
She scored a career-high 12 points at Tulsa on a near-perfect night from the field, going 5-for-6 (83.3 percent) in addition to four rebounds.
Gonzalez followed that up with eight points, four rebounds and one blocked shot at Memphis while shooting 75.0 percent (3-for-4) from the field, including 1-for-2 (50.0 percent) from behind the arc.
South Florida, who cracked the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time this season today at No. 25, returns to the Yuengling Center on Tuesday night to face East Carolina at 7 p.m. on Team Tykes Night. The Bulls will close out the week in Dallas at SMU on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (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.
For questions or to purchase season tickets, please visit USFBullsTix.com or call 1-800-GoBulls.
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 –
