USF won’t ‘be fazed’ by No. 1 South Carolina women’s basketball in NCAA Tournament

If the 11-point second-half comeback, the overtime dramatics and the 27 wins weren’t evidence enough, take it straight from South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley.

Her Gamecocks won in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Norfolk State on Friday primarily because they’re blessed with a roster of top recruits and All Americans — but if they mess around like that against South Florida, their second round opponent, USC could be in trouble.

“I do think we won the game with our talent … so obviously, moving forward, we can’t rely on that,” Staley said after South Carolina’s 72-40 win over Norfolk State. “Because we’ve got a South Florida team that’s going to fight and do what they need to do to get a win.”

With USC assistant coaches scouting the game from press row, South Florida’s postseason chops were on full display earlier on Friday in a 67-65 overtime win over Marquette, which was played ahead of the South Carolina-Norfolk State game at Columbia’s Colonial Life Arena.

The No. 8 seed Bulls looked all but done against the No. 9 seed Golden Eagles, failing to hold a lead through the first 38 minutes of the early game and trailing by as many as 11 points in the third quarter.

But a fierce rally, led primarily by USF’s co-conference players of the year Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and Elena Tsineke, delivered the Bulls a first round win and set up a juicy matchup for Sunday (1 p.m., ABC).

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 8 South Florida.

Winner to the Sweet Sixteen.

“Probably the only environment that you can compare (it) to that we played was at Texas this year and at NC State,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said postgame. “But our guys … we’ve played Connecticut, Tennessee, Oregon. Last year, Stanford coming off winning the national championship. I don’t think we’re going to be fazed by South Carolina. They’re very, very good, but it’s a great opportunity.”

South Florida-Marquette supplied the dramatics that South Carolina-Norfolk State – a No. 1-No. 16 seed game South Carolina led by as many as 37 points – understandably lacked.

Trailing 55-49 with 3:20 remaining, the Bulls went on a 10-0 fourth-quarter and took a 56-55 lead on forward Fankam Mendjiadeu’s and-one layup at the 1:21 mark. Guard Tsineke hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to go up 59-55.

USF nearly botched its comeback when Marquette forced a jump ball and got a chance at a go-ahead shot trailing 59-57, but the Golden Eagles could only muster two free throws.

In overtime, Tsineke’s go-ahead jump shot with 30 seconds left proved to be the sixth – and final – lead change in one of the more entertaining Friday games in the entire bracket. By beating Marquette, the Bulls moved to 27-6, tying their single-season program record for wins.

If they want to make it 28, they’ll have to prepare on one day’s notice for the best team in the country – talented enough that Staley, South Carolina’s longtime coach, could nitpick things such as free throw shooting and poor rebounding while also appreciating the finer points of a 32-point point in which she played all 14 of her scholarship players and 12 of them scored.

USC, as the No. 1 overall seed and 33-0 defending national champion, will be a comfortable favorite against USF. But Staley recognizes the power of a Bulls team that won the American Athletic Conference’s regular-season and is appearing in its seventh NCAA Tournaments in the past nine seasons under Fernandez, its coach of 23 years.

In a rarity for the AAC, Tsineke (18 ppg) and forward Fankam Mendjiadeu (16.7 ppg, 12.3 rpg) were named co-conference players of the year. USF also boasts Florida State transfer Sammie Puisis (15.8 ppg), the league’s newcomer of the year, and Carla Brito (8.6 ppg), an all-freshman team pick.

“Offense is what they do fairly well and then they’re stingy defensively,” Staley said. “They play a sort of pack line sagging (defense). And then scouting report, defense, if you can shoot the ball, they’re gonna guard you. If you can’t, they’re not gonna guard you.”

Tsineke’s among the Bulls players giving South Carolina the respect it deserves while also remaining confident in what USF’s got going on – and flashed on Friday.

“I mean, yeah, they are the first team in the nation,” Tsineke said. “But we also are a very good team, and when we get together, we play like ourselves, we are capable of many, many things.”