Game Details
Houston 71, No. 24/21 USF 69
USF (22-5, 11-1 AAC), Houston (10-13, 7-3 AAC)
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 | 2 p.m. | ESPN2
Tampa, Fla. | Yuengling Center
USF Athletics Communications contributed to this recap.
TAMPA (Feb. 12, 2023) (AP) — Elena Tsineke scored a team-high 24 points and
Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu added 19 points and 19 rebounds but that was not enough as the No. 24/21-ranked University of South Florida women's basketball team fell to Houston, 71-69, on Sunday at the Yuengling Center. The setback ended a number of winning streaks for the Bulls. South Florida, which had won 12 straight, was 12-0 at home and was trying to go 12-0 in American Athletic Conference play for the first time.
Houston, which never trailed after a Laila Blair 3-pointer made it 7-5, and led by 13 in the third quarter, never flinched when
Sammie Puisis hit a 3-pointer for South Florida (22-5, 11-1) to tie the game at 58 with 7:35 to play. The Cougars never led by more than four the rest of the way. Blair finished with a career-high 30 points.
Bria Patterson made 1 of 2 free throws with 12.2 seconds left to put Houston on top 70-66. Tsineke converted a three-point play with 4.9 to go but after Patterson again made 1 of 2 from the line with four seconds left, USF had no timeouts left to get off a good shot.
Britney Onyeji scored 14 points for Houston (10-13, 7-3), which has won 4 straight. Tiara Young had 13 points and Patterson 11. The Cougars only shot 41% and were out-rebounded 41-24, but they made 11 of 24 from 3-point range and forced 19 USF turnovers.
In addition to Tsineke and Fankam Mendjiadeu, Puisis and
Carla Brito added 10 points apiece.
Notable
- Sunday'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 20-5 with this lineup.
- The loss to Houston drops the Bulls' record against the Cougars to 21-9 all-time in the series … The setback snaps South Florida's four game winning streak against Houston.
- Elena Tsineke's 24 points against Houston mark her 82nd career double-figure scoring game in her 106th career game with the Bulls.
- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu's 19 points and 19 rebounds mark her 52nd career double-double and her 27th in a South Florida uniform.
Up Next
The Houston game started a three-game in a five-game stretch for USF that will be played at home to end the regular season. Following Sunday's game, the Bulls head across Interstate-4 to face Central Florida for the final regular season edition of the War on I-4 on Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. (ESPN+). The stretch also includes games against SMU (Feb. 18, 5 p.m. ESPN+), Tulsa (Feb. 22, 7 p.m. ESPN+) and at Cincinnati (March 1, 7 p.m. ESPN+).
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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
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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.
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