University of South Florida
9-1
Santa Clara
4-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SANTA CLARA | 10 | 18 | 9 | 17 | 54 |
| USF | 18 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 63 |
Laksa, Pujol Lead Bulls to Rout of Santa Clara
December 20, 2016 | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, DEC. 20, 2016 – The dynamic duo of Kitija Laksa and Ariadna Pujol steered the University of South Florida women's basketball team back to the win column Tuesday in the Play4Kay Shootout. The Bulls overpowered the Broncos of Santa Clara 63-54 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Laksa (Riga, Latvia) was the Bulls' top scorer for the fifth time this season, shooting 58 percent (7-for-12) from the floor. The forward finished with 19 points and three rebounds. Pujol (Mataro, Spain) turned in a double-double, the first of her career, with 14 points and a career high 13 rebounds.
The Bulls out-rebounded Santa Clara 44-40, six of the seven Bulls that played grabbed at least three boards. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) tallied seven rebounds, and dished out five assists to go with six points. Freshman Dorottya Nagy (Pecs, Hungary) tallied 13 points and three rebounds.
Key Stats
The Bulls shot 80 percent from the free throw line, connecting on 14-of-17 attempts.
Notables
Flores has tallied at least four assists in all but one game.
Up Next
USF will play Wednesday in the game for fifth place at 3:00 p.m. local time (PT). The Bulls will face the winner of the UNLV and New Mexico State match-up.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
The Bulls return eight players from last season, and have signed six newcomers to the roster. American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Kitija Laksa will lead a squad full of international flavor that boasts nine players from around the world. USF will look to extend its postseason streak to five consecutive seasons and return to the conference championship for the third time in as many years.
USF has made 12 postseason tournament appearances and had four NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 16 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to seven 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 280 games.
To purchase season tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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