TAMPA, NOV. 20, 2017 – In the battle of the unbeaten, No. 17 USF easily handled Butler, 71-55, Monday night. The Bulls had three players in double-figures, led by
Kitija Laksa and
Laura Ferreira with 17 points each.
USF improved to 4-0 for the second consecutive season and the third time in the past six years. The Bulls were led offensively by
Laksa (Riga, Latvia) and
Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal). The pair combined for 34 points, each scoring 17. Ferreira added five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and finished 7-of-13, shooting 54 percent.
Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The forward filled her stat line with five assists, tying her career high, and two steals.
Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) dished out five assists, grabbed eight rebounds and added five points.
The Bulls maintained their perfect record against Butler (3-1) and improved to 4-0 all-time in the series. USF only trailed in the opening minutes of the first quarter while both teams exchanged baskets. USF took the lead with 6:43 remaining in the first quarter and would never trail again. The Bulls used a 23-point second quarter to separate themselves from a strong Butler squad. USF shot 69 percent and Ferreira went 4-for-4 from the floor in the second frame. Laksa and Ferreira each scored eight of their 17-points in the second quarter.
QUOTABLES:
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the difference in the game:
"I thought tonight the second quarter was huge for us. Both teams shot 50 percent in the first quarter, so offensively, both teams got what they wanted. In the second quarter, we went on a little bit of a run and extended the lead. In the second half, we just couldn't extend that 15-17-point lead. Hand it to Butler, they played hard."
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the Bulls' performance:
"The thing with us, I thought we shared the ball well. We had 17 assists. We took care of the ball, single digit turnovers. The only thing that we can talk about to our guys tonight is how we defended the interior and the glass. We move on and get ready for three games in three days."
KEY STATS:
17: USF continues to share the ball and assisted 17 of its 29 field goals. In their first 4 games, the Bulls have assisted on 56 percent of their field goals. (67 assists on 119 field goals)
NOTABLES:
- USF starts its season with a 4-0 record for the third time in the past six seasons. The Bulls have started 4-0 10 times in USF program history, seven times under head coach Jose Fernandez.
- Maria Jespersen inches closer to 1,000 career points. The senior sits at 916 points. Jespersen surpassed 600 rebounds Monday night and is on pace to become only the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 600 rebounds.
- Kitija Laksa has made two-plus three-pointers in her last 12 outings and has gone 19-straight games with at least one trey.
UP NEXT:
The Bulls take their first road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. USF will play three games in three days the Gulf Coast showcase Nov. 24-26. The Bulls open the tournament Friday against Washington State at 5 p.m. at Germain Arena. They will face either No. 6 Notre Dame or ETSU on Saturday. USF is guaranteed a game on Sunday and will face one of the remaining four teams in the opposite bracket of the tournament.
Season tickets are still available for purchase, along with three- and five-game flex plans. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (
Twitter |
Facebook |
Instagram).
USF notched its fifth consecutive 20-win season. The Bulls tallied its 20th win in their 24th contest of the season which tied the fastest any program has reached 20 wins. This is the eighth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all eight 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team reached 20 wins in 24 games, and still currently holds the best record for most wins in a season (27).
USF has made 13 postseason tournament appearances and had five NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 17 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to eight 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
– #GoBulls –
