Box Score By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
DALLAS, JAN. 25, 2017 – Kitija Laksa's 28-point explosion helped No. 23 USF escape Moody Coliseum with a 52-51 win over SMU on Wednesday night.
Laksa (Riga, Latvia) rallied the Bulls with nine points in the fourth quarter of her ninth 20-plus point game of the season. USF (16-3) secured the victory with a defensive stand in the final seconds and improved to 5-1 in the conference heading into Sunday's showdown with Temple.
Heading into the game, head coach Jose Fernandez challenged the Bulls to get tougher on the glass following a loss to No. 9 Louisville. USF responded by outrebounding taller SMU, 45-34, with 14 boards on the offensive end. Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) led the way with 13 rebounds and finished second on the team with seven points.
Laksa secured her 17th double-digit scoring game of the season with 14 points in a first half that featured five lead changes. Kiara Perry, McKenzie Adams and Alicia Froling each scored six points to boost SMU to a 30-27 advantage by the break.
SMU (11-9, 2-5) took a 43-41 lead into the fourth quarter before the Laksa-led Bulls made their move. The sophomore forward knocked down a 3-pointer and followed with a layup off a half-court steal to give USF a 46-43 lead with 8:57 remaining.
With USF clinging to a 48-47 lead, the teams went scoreless for four minutes before SMU pulled back ahead with 2:25 left on the clock. Ariadna Pujol (Mataro, Spain) responded with a layup about 30 seconds later and a pair of Laksa free throws extended the USF lead to 52-49 with 50 seconds remaining.
SMU got within a point of USF and had a shot at the win, but Adams missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left. USF improved to 10-0 in the all-time series with SMU and 6-0 in Dallas.
Quotables
Head coach Jose Fernandez on his team having to rally for the win:
“We got into foul trouble early. We had Maria and Ari with two fouls, and we went to our bench. Our bench needed to do a much better job in the first half.”
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the Bulls outrebounding a taller SMU team:
“We outrebounded them by 11 and we got 14 offensive rebounds. What we worked on since Louisville paid off today.”
Head coach Jose Fernandez's outlook on the victory:
“We escaped, but that was No. 16 for the year for us, so that's good.”
Key Stats
45 – With a rebound in the final second, USF finished with a 45-34 edge on the glass, including 14 offensive rebounds. USF headed into the game ranked 11th in the nation in rebounding margin (10.1).
16 – The amount of personal fouls called on USF, while SMU went 9-for-9 at the free throw line. USF entered the game ranked second nationally with only 11.8 personal fouls per outing and had 11 heading into the fourth quarter.
Notables
- Sophomore Kitija Laksa notched her 17th double-digit scoring game of the season and the 35th of her career with 14 points in the first half. Laksa has nine 20-point games this season and 14 overall as a Bull after finishing with 28 points.
- Junior Maria Jespersen posted her ninth double-digit rebounding game of the season. The junior finished with 13 boards and grabbed four of USF's 14 offensive rebounds.
- No. 23 USF was the fourth ranked team SMU has faced already this season.
Up Next
USF finishes up a two-game road trip with a conference test at Temple on Sunday. The first of two meetings between the programs this season begins at noon in Philadelphia (TV: 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.
To purchase season tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
– #GoBulls –
