NORMAN, OKLA., DEC. 9, 2017 – Maria Jespersen scored her 1,000^th career point Saturday and became just the 10^th player in program history to record 1,000 points and 600 rebounds.
 
Jespersen scored 18 points in the Bulls' 79-74 setback at Oklahoma. The senior from Arhus, Denmark added 12 rebounds in her fifth double-double performance this season.

Playing in its fifth-straight road game, USF (7-2) got a big boost from point guard Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain), who scored 15 points and went 3-for-5 from behind the arc. The senior added five rebounds in 37 minutes. Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) led the Bulls in with 21 points.
 
Oklahoma (4-5) shot 75 percent in the second half and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor in the fourth quarter. The Sooners, who received votes in the national polls and ranked as highly as No. 21 this season, rallied behind Gabbi Ortiz's 31 points and eight three-pointers.

Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the game:
"I knew going into this game how motivated Oklahoma would be. When you go on the road, being a ranked team like we are, the environment and the opponent will be at an all time high."

"We committed 24 fouls as a team and had two guys foul out, which he have not done all season. Things caught up to us as well. The last two games, we've been able to get by disguising some things with us having to play a smaller lineup. Our lack of depth and injuries showed today. Not having Alyssa Rader get cleared was not beneficial to where we are at currently personnel-wise. It was a disappointing road trip on many fronts."
 
Key Stats
75 – The Sooners shot 75 percent in the second half, and didn't miss a field goal in the fourth quarter.
13 – The number of turnovers committed by the Bulls. Oklahoma scored 22 points off turnovers.
 
Notables

• Maria Jespersen became only the 10^th player in program history to post at least 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in a career. Only seven players have recorded at least 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. Jespersen currently has 652 rebounds.
• Jespersen registered her fifth double-double of the season. The senior forward recorded back-to-back double-doubles for the second time this season.
• Kitija Laksa secured her 23^rd consecutive double-digit scoring game in the first quarter, scoring 12.
• Laksa has made two-plus three-pointers in each of her past 17 games and at least one in the past 24 outings.
• This marked USF's first trip to Norman, Oklahoma this season. The Bulls will return to the Sooner state Feb. 3 when they take on Tulsa.
• Laia Flores tied her most three-point field goals in a game with three. Flores also went 3-for-5 against Butler (Dec. 2, 2016).

Up Next
The Bulls return to Sun Dome Arena for the first time since Nov. 20 on Friday. USF hosts Southern University at 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
 
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 –