Sammie Puisis pours in 27 points and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu adds 25 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
Game Details
RV/23 South Florida 93, Tulsa 83
USF (25-5, 14-1 AAC), Tulsa (16-11, 6-8 AAC)
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
Click here for Head Coach Jose Fernandez’s press conference.
Click here for Sammie Puisis and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu Press conference.
TAMPA (Feb. 22, 2023) — The University of South Florida women’s basketball team closed out its 2022-23 home schedule in impressive fashion on Wednesday as the Bulls defeated Tulsa, 93-83, on Senior Night in the Yuengling Center. South Florida, the 2023 American Athletic Conference regular season champions, improve to 25-5 on the year and 14-1 in The American while the Golden Hurricane fall to 16-11 and 6-8 in league play.
The Bulls got two big-time performances from Sammie Puisis and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu en route to the win. Puisis scored a game-high 27 points, one point shy of equaling her career-high, and Fankam Mendjiadeu – who along with Elena Tsineke were recognized during a Senior Night ceremony before the game – added 25 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, and a dished out a career-high tying four assists.
Tsineke added 15 points and handed out a career-high nine assists, and Marina Asensio chipped in with a career-high 14 points off the bench. Carla Brito rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
The Bulls trailed after one quarter, 21-18, however, came back and took a 42-38 advantage into the locker room at the break behind 19 of Puisis’ 27 points.
South Florida continued to hold the lead in the third quarter finishing the stanza by hitting five of its final six shots. Included in those five made field goals were two crucial three-point field goals in the final three minutes by Asensio.
The Bulls eventually took over in the fourth quarter, getting its advantage to double figures with just under five minutes left in the game on a Brito free throw, and then extended its lead to as many as 14 points late in the fourth on a Fankam Mendjiadeu fast break layup for her final points in the Yuengling Center. Fankam Mendjiadeu and Tsineke were then pulled from the game with 46 seconds left to a standing ovation.
South Florida handed out a season-high tying 25 assists on the night on 31 made field goals, and outrebounded Tulsa, 39-30, including a 10-5 margin on the offensive glass leading to nine second-chance points.
Notable
- Wednesday’s starters for the Bulls were: G Elena Tsineke, G Aerial Wilson, F Sammie Puisis, F Carla Brito, and F Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu … South Florida is 23-5 with this lineup.
- The win over Tulsa improves the Bulls’ record against the Golden Hurricane to 12-0 in the all-time series.
- The win for the Bulls is their 15th in their last 16 games and 17th in their last 19.
- South Florida’s 93 points are just the second time this season that it scored 90 or more points, and the most since scoring 99 in a 99-51 win over Temple on Feb. 2, 2020.
- The Bulls’ 12 three-point shots made against Tulsa mark a season-high
- Today’s win marks just the third time in program history that South Florida has won at least 25 games … Along with this season, the Bulls also won 25 or more games in 2017-18 (26), 2014-15 (27) and 2008-09 (27).
- In addition, the Bulls’ 14 conference wins this season is tied for the second most in program history, joining the 2015-16 team that also won 14 games in The American (14-4) … South Florida won a program record 15 games during their second season in the AAC (2014-15).
- Elena Tsineke’s 15 points against Tulsa mark her 85th career double-figure scoring game in her 109th career game with the Bulls.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu’s 25 points and 13 rebounds mark her 55th career double-double and her 30th in a South Florida uniform.
- Sammie Puisis’ seven three-point field goals made tied her career-high set earlier this season against East Carolina on Jan. 31.
Up Next
The Bulls wrap up their regular season schedule at Cincinnati on March 1 at 7 p.m. (ESPN+), before heading to the American Athletic Conference Tournament, March 6-9, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
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.
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 –
