Tampa, Fla. – Feb. 22, 2025 – Graduate guard Sammie Puisis netted a career-best 34 points as South Florida women’s basketball (20-8, 13-2 AAC) topped Memphis (7-9, 5-10 AAC), 80-70, inside the Yuengling Center on Saturday night. With the victory, the Bulls collected their ninth straight win and are victors of 15 of the last 17 contests. Head Coach Jose Fernandez also recorded his 12th 20-win season.
Puisis (six 3-pointers) recorded her 16th game of the season with three or more 3-pointers. Junior forward Carla Brito (18 points, 11 rebounds) recorded her sixth double-double of the season, her 14th double-figure scoring game of the year, and 10th double-digit rebound performance of the year. Graduate guard Mama Dembele (six assists) logged her seventh straight and 18th game of the season with five or more assists.
Memphis saw four Tigers in double-digit points: Tilly Boler (18 points), Tanyuel Welch (17 points), Alasia Smith (14 points), and Elauna Eaton (13 points).
HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED
South Florida used a 20-6 run that extended from the four-minute mark of the second frame and the first four minutes of the third stanza. Within the scoring spurt, the Bulls lengthened their lead to as high as 16 points. Brito led the way for USF with eight points in the run, and the Bulls never looked back.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- Head Coach Jose Fernandez has recorded his 12th 20-win season.
- South Florida has emerged victorious is 15 of its last 17 contests.
- USF has extended its current win streak to a season-best nine games.
- South Florida is now 14-2 at home this season.
- Puisis (career-high 34 points, six 3-pointers) recorded her 16th game of the season with three or more 3-pointers.
- Puisis’s 34 points is the first 30-plus point performance since redshirt senior forward Romi Levy scored 32 points at Tulane (Jan. 6, 2024) last season (does not include 35+ points).
- Brito (18 points, 11 rebounds) recorded her sixth double-double of the season, her 14th double-figure scoring game of the year, and her 10th double-digit rebound performance of the year.
- Dembele (six assists) logged her seventh straight and 18th game of the season with five or more assists.
- South Florida continues to hold an 18-15 lead in the all-time series with Memphis.
UP NEXT
South Florida heads to Oklahoma for a meeting with Tulsa on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.
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ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
South Florida women’s basketball has made 18 postseason tournament appearances and had nine 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 11 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2008-09 WNIT championship, has won over 450 career games, and is the all-time wins leader in the American Athletic Conference.
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