GAME 33 | 2023 NCAA TOURNAMENT | 1ST ROUND | COLONIAL LIFE ARENA | COLUMBIA, S.C.
Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats | NCAA Tournament Page | Interactive Bracket
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Online: ESPN2 | ESPN+ ($)                                 
Courtney Lyle (PxP), Carolyn Peck (Color)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn App/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com
Series: Marquette leads the series, 17-4
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: NCAATickets.com
 
(8) RV/24 USF BULLS | 26-6 (15-1, AAC)
Last Game: March 7 vs. Wichita State, L, 65-53
Next Game: March 19 vs. (1) S. Carolina/(16) Norfolk State (If. nec.)
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 442-291 (23rd season)
at South Florida: Same
 
(9) Marquette Golden Eagles | 21-10 (13-7, BIG EAST)
Last Game: March 5 vs. UConn, L, 81-52
Next Game: March 19 vs. (1) S. Carolina/(16) Norfolk State (If. nec.)
Head Coach: Megan Duffy
Alma Mater: Notre Dame, 2006
Career Record: 131-56 (Sixth season)
at Marquette: 87-36 (Fourth season)
 
By Joey Johnston
 
COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 16, 2023) – Three franchise athletes. Three elite scorers. Three players who can carry their team through prosperity and adversity.
 
Few teams in the NCAA Tournament field have that luxury.
 
As the No. 8-seeded USF Bulls (26-6) begin their postseason run Friday against the No. 9 Marquette Golden Eagles (21-10) at Columbia, South Carolina, they will rely on their dynamic, diverse triumvirate of Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Elena Tsineke and Sammie Puisis.
 
Three of the best players in women's college basketball — all in the same lineup.
 
"Any single one of them can have a monster night,'' Bulls point guard Aerial Wilson said. "We have so many options. When they're all playing well and finding each other, it's impressive. I know the teams scouting us are always trying to stop our big three, but it's really hard to stop all three of them.''
 
They are different.
 
Fankam Mendjiadeu and Tsineke shared the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. Fankam Mendjiadeu, a 6-foot-4 center from the Cameroon and a Memphis transfer, is a sturdy, powerful double-double machine who averages 16.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Tsineke, a 5-7 guard from Greece, provides instant offense with 18.0 points per game with an array of long-range bombs and drives to the basket.
 
Puisis, a 6-1 wing from Ohio, averages 15.8 points and is tied for the national lead in made 3-pointers (she and Iowa's Caitlin Clark each have 108, but Puisis has the higher percentage at 39.1). Puisis, a Florida State transfer who shoots 88.7 percent from the free-throw line, was named the AAC's Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-conference.
 
"What they share is a relentless work ethic, an attention to detail and a desire to win for their team,'' USF coach Jose Fernandez. "They are simply driven to do the things that not every player is willing to do.''
 
On any given day at the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center, when everyone else has departed, you're likely to find them on the court.
 
Fankam Mendjiadeu taking a flurry of entry passes, faking right, going left, then faking left and going right … over and over again.
 
Tsineke working on her ball-handling, going low, crossing over, behind the back, through the legs, advancing, retreating, pivoting … over and over again.
 
Puisis setting up the ball machine, then firing up hundreds of shots, mid-range, elbow, top of the key, both corners … over and over again.
 
"The way they all work is inspiring,'' Bulls associate head coach Michele Woods-Baxter said. "Each of them is more than capable of carrying a team. But on this team, none of them has the pressure of having to be great every single night. They can just do their thing.''
 
"These are fiercely competitive people — fiercely competitive — but they have such a respect for each other's work ethic and such a respect for what they come out to accomplish each day in practice,'' Bulls assistant head coach Danny Hughes said. "They don't resemble each other in any way physically. But I think if you dig below the surface, you're going to find the same elements of work and a burning desire to be great.''
 
Dulcy: The Drive For Success
 
Fankam Mendjiadeu, more than anyone, has turned heads with her relentless pursuit of greatness.
 
Last season, after the transfer from Memphis, she was a very good player for the Bulls — 10.3 points per game and 7.1 rebounds. But there was more to give. She knew it. So did everyone else.
 
"It's almost hard to remember now, but when Dulcy first got here, we thought she was kind of lazy,'' Tsineke said with a laugh. "She is so talented. But it takes more than talent. I am so proud of the way she works now. She has completely changed her game and outlook. She's an incredible weapon for our team.''
 
In 32 games, Fankam Mendjiadeu has 23 double-doubles, including mind-bending non-conference efforts against Georgia Tech (19 points, 21 rebounds), Ohio State (34 points, 17 rebounds) and NC State (10 points, 18 rebounds).
 
"Dulcy has changed her body,'' Fernandez said. "She has gotten stronger, faster and better. I think she's one of the hardest workers I've ever had on the court. But making a difference is changing the way she ate, changing her sleeping patterns, taking care of her body.
 
"She's constantly doing something to become a better player. That's why she's going to be drafted in the WNBA and she's going to make a lot of money playing this game. Yes, she has talent. But even better, she has really worked hard to get the most out of that talent.''
 
Fankam Mendjiadeu said a laser-focused approach has made all the difference.
 
"It's so easy to take a play off or take a day off,'' Fankam Mendjiadeu said. "You can talk yourself into not giving your best. That's why every little thing is going to matter. All the little things you do in the offseason and in practice, they're going to matter in the NCAA Tournament.
 
"I want to be one of those people who can say, when all the games are done, that I gave everything I had.''
 
Elena: The Electric Performer
 
Tsineke has played in 111 USF games (starting 101). She stands at 1,634 career points and this has been her best season.
 
She's shooting a career-best 45.9-percent from the field and 37.3 from 3-point range. She's also averaging a career-best 3.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
 
She has been in double figures 29 times — including 13 games of 20 points or greater.
 
Tsineke, whose twin sister Katerina plays at Montana, was discovered by USF coaches when she competed at the under-20 European Championships in Hungary. Tsineke was intrigued by the potential of USF's program, along with the Tampa climate, which resembled the weather in her homeland.
 
It has produced a beautiful relationship — three straight NCAA Tournaments (a fourth, in her freshman season, was cancelled by COVID) — and a legacy that will have her remembered as one of the most popular and productive USF players.
 
But there's still something more.
 
"El is her own hardest critic,'' Fernandez said. "Very hard on herself. But you know what? That's why she's great. It means a lot to her.''
 
Tsineke, surrounded by talent, knows her greatest opportunity is at hand.
 
"We have a common goal,'' Tsineke said. "Nobody is going in a different direction or thinking about something else. We know what's ahead of us. I love my teammates. I know they love me. It's down to the end for me and I am very confident in our chances. What more could you want?''
 
Sammie: The Sweet Shooter
 
When Puisis left FSU and chose the Bulls, she had a specific goal.
 
"She said, 'I want to be more than a shooter,' '' Woods-Baxter said. "She wanted to be a three-lever scorer, not just somebody who stood out in the corner waiting for a pass so they could shoot.
 
"We take a lot of pride in individual development here. Sammie has been like a sponge. She absorbs everything, right down to the smallest detail of different shots, getting lower than your defender, getting by people. She has made so many strides and it's going to be even better next year because of her ability to observe and retain. It's never an argument. It's, 'OK, coach.' Then she does it. It's awesome.''
 
The bread-and-butter for Puisis (pronounced: Pwee-sis), though, is obvious. She's one of the nation's most lethal long-range shooters. It's telling that Iowa's Clark will enter the NCAA Tournament as a practically mythical figure, but Puisis has matched her 3-point numbers.
 
"The big difference is Sammie is making shots off the dribble and taking shots in the flow of our offense,'' Hughes said. "The more experience you get, the more you learn about what is actually a good shot. Sammie is a student of the game and she's making better decisions. She's just a darn good basketball player in so many ways.''
 
Nine times this season, Puisis has made at least five 3-pointers in a game (including a torrid 14-for-25 stretch in the last two regular-season contests). Sammie P. For Three! It's a catchy slogan.
 
But she has meant so much more.
 
"It's a great group of athletes at USF,'' Puisis said. "Coaches who make you better. A family atmosphere. The ability to win a lot of games. It's everything I hoped it would be. Now it's time to put it all together.''
 
Three-Mendous!
 
There is singular excellence in the games of Fankam Mendjiadeu, Tsineke and Puisis.
 
But mixed together?
 
It's a trio sought by every women's or men's basketball team — at every level. To go from good to great, there's usually the need for a third scorer, that elusive third dimension to complete the triangle.
 
Potentially, that combination could add up to three-mendous postseason options for the Bulls.
 
"It's hard to know who's going to have the most points — and it could be Carla (Brito),'' Fankam Mendjiadeu said. "I'm not sure what I would do to defend us. I'm not a coach. But I think it could be a problem.''
 
"We have a lot of good options and we can be hard to predict,'' Tsineke said. "It makes it a lot of fun.''
 
"We definitely push each other,'' Puisis said. "After practice, I'll see one of them in the gym, getting extra shots. And it will motivate me to do the same. We all want to play pro or go overseas. We all want to make USF into a major force (at the NCAA Tournament). You can be self-driven, but it's great to be surrounded by players with crazy work ethic. No matter how you describe it or break it down, one thing is pretty clear. We make each other better.''
 
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 is $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 10^th 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.