TAMPA, JAN. 2, 2016 – University of South Florida freshman Tamara Henshaw turned in her first career double-double Friday and earned her first freshman of the week honor, the American Athletic Conference announced Monday. Junior Maria Jespersen landed on the weekly honor roll for the third straight week.
Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) tallied a career-high 12 points Friday night against Stetson and grabbed a new season-best 13 rebounds. Defensively, the newcomer led the team with three blocks and seven defensive boards.
“I know what my role is on the team and one of them is rebounding," said Henshaw. "I had to make sure I did rebound. My team, when they saw me, they passed it and that's what got me the points.”
Henshaw becomes USF's first freshman of the week since Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) earned the honor Feb. 8. The Florida native is also the first freshman since Alisia Jenkins to grab 13 rebounds in a single game. Jenkins accomplished the feat Jan. 12, 2013 at DePaul.
Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) played all 40 minutes for the Bulls and scored 26 points in their 74-60 win over visiting Stetson. The junior grabbed 15 rebounds in her second consecutive double-double and her fifth of the season. Jespersen has turned in 15-plus rebounds in her past two outings. The forward shot 53 percent from the floor (10-for-19) and converted 4-of-5 free throw attempts.
Henshaw, Jespersen and the Bulls travel to New Orleans Wednesday for their American Athletic Conference opener. USF will play Tulane at the Devlin Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. ET but fans can catch the game on ESPN3.
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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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