TAMPA, DEC. 31, 2017 – The USF women's basketball team ended 2017 the way it began: with a win over Tulane University. The Bulls never trailed in their 75-46 rout of Tulane and secured their first American Athletic Conference victory in a decisive manner.
 
361 days ago, USF began their conference campaign in New Orleans at Tulane. It was Jan. 3, 2017 and the first athletic event of the new year for the Bulls. They defeated the Green Wave, 62-53. On Sunday, USF finished 2017 right where it began, with a dominant conference opening win over Tulane.
 
USF (11-3, 1-0 The American) had three players in double-figures, led by Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) turned in a season best 14 points while Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) excelled from long range and finished with 14 points (4-of-8 from behind the arc).
 
The Bulls' offense proved unstoppable as nine players scored; and 20 of their 29 made field goals were assisted. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) only needed three assists to move into third on the all-time career assists list but the senior dished out 11.
 
USF's defense also shined, holding Tulane (8-6, 0-1 The American) to a season low 29 percent from the floor. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) turned in a stellar defensive performance, holding Green Wave senior Kolby Morgan, one of the nation's leading scorers, to eight points. Ferreira also added nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.  
 
QUOTABLES:
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the team's defensive effort:
"I was really pleased with [Ferreira] and our guys coming out and on how we defended. I thought Laura did a very good job on Morgan and I think our other kids did a good job on finding her in transition. It started with us taking care of the ball. We had three turnovers in the first half and we moved it, shared it really well. It was the type of game we were able to play a lot of people as well and get a lot of people minutes."
 
Senior Laura Ferreira (#10) Bulls bouncing back from a nonconference loss:
"After we lost to Michigan State and we had four days off, we have been practicing really well. We are focusing on the things that went wrong like taking care of the ball and just sharing the ball. We've been practicing well so it's good to play at home and see the improvement in the team."
 
Key Stats
34 – The number of points scored in the paint. The Bulls outscored Tulane 34-14 in the paint, including 16 points off turnovers.
 
Notables

• The Bulls remained perfect at the Sun Dome and improved to 6-0 at home this season. Since 2014, USF is 44-8 at home and 22-5 against American Athletic Conference opponents.
• The Bulls have not lost a game at the Sun Dome since Feb. 27, 2017.
• USF is 4-1 in American Athletic Conference openers and improved to 2-1 when opening the league slate at home.
• Sunday's 29-point victory is the Bulls' largest margin of victory in an American Athletic Conference opener.
• Laia Flores dished out 10-plus assists for the fourth time this season. Flores is two assists away from 400 career assists. Only two other players in program history have reached 400 assists.
• Maria Jespersen has 699 career rebounds and is one rebound away from becoming just the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 700 rebounds.  

 
Up Next
In a quick turnaround, the Bulls will travel to Cincinnati Jan. 3. USF will play the Bearcats at Saint Ursula Academy at 7 p.m. The Bulls return to the Sun Dome Jan. 6 and will take on No. 1 UConn at 7 p.m.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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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 –