Box Score TAMPA, JAN. 14, 2017 – The University of South Florida women's basketball team remains undefeated at home thanks to dominant 31-point win over visiting East Carolina Saturday night at Sun Dome Arena. Three Bulls scored 20-plus points putting the Bulls back in the win-column.
Led by Ariadna Pujol (Mataro, Spain) with 23 points, USF (14-2, 3-1 The American) extended its home win streak to 13 consecutive games and improved to 7-0 in the Sun Dome this season. Pujol just missed a double-double outing adding eight rebounds. The senior shot 60 percent from the floor (6-for-10) and finished 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Pujol also converted nine of 11 free throw attempts.
USF led by one point after the first quarter but rallied in the second quarter behind 11 points from Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia). The Bulls outscored the Pirates (10-8, 1-4 The American) 20-8 in the second quarter taking a 35-22 lead into the break.
Laksa finished with 20 points and five rebounds after three quarters of action. Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) turned it on in the second half, scoring 13 of her 20 points in the final two quarters. Jespersen grabbed eight rebounds and added two assists in 39 minutes.
Quotables
Head coach Jose Fernandez on Saturday's bounce back victory:
"It was good to get back on the winning side. Tuesday was definitely not fun, not fun for our kids, not fun for our staff. It wasn't indicative of the team we have but we had to really reflect and look at that game and where we're at and where we're headed. The only way you do that is by fixing things in film, fixing things in player development and fixing things in practice. I tell our kids, we win together, we lose together. It's not their fault, it's not our fault, it's everybody's fault."
Head coach Jose Fernandez on moving past UConn this week:
"Today, we needed to play. We needed to play and put that game behind us. I think the kids put it behind us the last two days with the way we practiced. That's been good. I told them the only thing I'm really disappointed in them tonight is defensively, where we had them in the third quarter with 26 points and they finish with 48. We didn't give up one offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes and finish with 15. In order for us to be great, the score shouldn't matter. Every possession matters. That's why Connecticut is so good. The score doesn't matter, every possession does. That's what seperates the good from the great. That's what this team needs to realize. We have to play every possession like it matters, like it's the last possession of the game and the game is tied. Until that happens, we won't reach where we want to get to."
Key Stats
6- USF's defense was on display, tallying six steals and forcing 13 ECU turnovers as a team. The Bulls have notched at least six steals on eight different occasions this season.
51– The Bulls shot 51 percent from the floor, finishing 27-for-53. USF has shot 50 or better five times, but Saturday was the first time in conference action.
1 – USF held ECU to just one player in double-figures. Kristen Gaffney led the Pirates with 13 points.
Notables
Three players scored 20-plus points for the second time this season. Pujol, Laksa and Jespersen also turned in 20 point performances against FIU (Nov. 30, 2016).
Head coach Jose Fernandez notched his 299th career win. Fernandez is already the winningest coach in USF history (299-228) and with one more win he will become the third active coach in the American Athletic Conference to reach 300 career wins.
The Bulls extend their home win streak to 13 consecutive games. USF has not dropped a home contest in the Sun Dome Arena since hosting No. 1 UConn Jan. 10, 2016. USF's home record over the past three seasons improved to 35-4.
Up Next
The Bulls remain in Tampa for their second of a three-game homestand. USF hosts Memphis Jan. 17 at USF Sun Dome Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and will air CBS Sports Network.
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.
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