Elena Tsineke poured in a season-high 25 points and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu added 19 points and 13 boards.
Game Details
RV/RV USF 69, Tulane 61
USF (12-4, 1-0 AAC), Tulane (10-4, 0-1 AAC)
Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+
New Orleans, La. | Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse
NEW ORLEANS, La. (Dec. 30, 2022) —The University of South Florida women’s basketball team ended the calendar year with its first American Athletic Conference win of the season as the Bulls handed Tulane a 69-61 loss on Friday night. The victory improves South Florida to 12-4 on the year and 1-0 in The American while the Green Wave fall to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in league play. The win also extends the Green and Gold’s winning streak at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse to 12 games.
Elena Tsineke led the Bulls with a season-high 25 points while Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu added 19 points and 13 rebounds and Sammie Puisis chipped in with 14 points.
Neither team led by more than five points in the first half, that coming when Puisis hit her first trey of the night with 4:27 left in the quarter to put the Bulls up, 13-8. South Florida led after 10 minutes, 18-15, however, Tulane outscored the Bulls, 14-10, in the second quarter to take a slight 29-28 lead into the locker room at the break.
South Florida looked to take control of the contest in the third using a 15-3 run over the last seven-plus minutes of the quarter, capped by a jumper from Tsineke with 12 seconds left and a layup by Puisis off a Green Wave turnover 10 seconds later to give the Bulls their biggest lead of the game, to that point, 49-40.
Tulane cut the Bulls’ lead to as few as three points, 58-55, with 3:24 left in the game but could not get closer the rest of the way. South Florida closed out the game by hitting six of its eight free throws in the final minute.
Notable
- Friday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elena Tsineke, G Aerial Wilson, F Sammie Puisis, F Carla Brito and F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu … The Bulls are 10-4 with this lineup.
- The win over Tulane improves the Bulls’ record against the Green Wave to 29-20 in the all-time series … The victory was also the 20th in the last 21 games against Tulane and the 22nd in the last 24 games … In addition, South Florida extends its winning streak to 12 games in contests played at Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
- The Green and Gold improve their record to 14-9 in conference openers under Jose Fernandez and 10-1 in American Athletic Conference lid-lifters … The Bulls have won 10 straight conference openers.
- Elena Tsineke’s season-high 25 points against Tulane mark her 72nd career double-figure scoring game in her 95th career game with the Bulls.
- Tsineke’s 20-point performance is her sixth of the season and her second straight.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 19 points and 13 rebounds mark her 43rd career double-double and her 18th game in a South Florida uniform.
Up Next
The Bulls will return to the Yuengling Center on Jan. 3 to take on Temple at 5 p.m. (ESPNU) for their annual We Back Pat Night. The night helps raise awareness for effective treatments, prevention and, ultimately, a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
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 –
