TAMPA, NOV. 17, 2017 – Six players in double figures led the University of South Florida to a 98-55 over visiting Arkansas State Friday night. Led by Kitija Laksa with 25 points, the Bulls' remained perfect at Sun Dome Arena.
 
USF (3-0) bested Arkansas State (1-2) in every statistical category, but the stat of the night came from 22 assists on 34 field goals. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) dished out a team best 11 assists. Laksa (Riga, Latvia) turned in 25 points and seven rebounds. The junior shot 50 percent from the floor. Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) scored 19 points and added nine rebounds while Laura Ferreria (Lisboa, Portugal) netted 14 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.
 
Redshirt-freshman Shae Leverett (Rincon, Ga.) had an incredible night finishing perfect from the floor. The post notched her first double-double performance with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Alba Prieto (Seville, Spain) netted a career-best 12 points while Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) added 10 points and six rebounds.
 
The Bulls started the game firing on all cylinders, and didn't miss a shot for the first six minutes of the first quarter. USF never trailed and held the Red Wolves to a shooting percentage of .254. The Bulls' defense only allowed one scorer to reach double figures as Arkansas State's Akasha Westbrook led her team with 16 points.
 
QUOTABLES:
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the USF's defense:
"I'm happy with how we defended and defended the arc primarily. We came out of the locker room at half time and they took pride on the defensive end."
 
Head coach Jose Fernandez on the play of his freshmen:
"We're playing eight, three of them are freshman. Having those guys have 12, 3 and 13 is great. They are getting great experience. Right now, that's what we need them to do. I thought in camp they got 30 practices in 40 days and two scrimmages against two very, very good teams. Right now, they are five games in to their college career, counting the two scrimmages and they've played against some pretty good competition."  
 
Senior Maria Jespersen (#12) on Shae Leverett:
"Shae sat out last year and traveled with us, worked out with us but especially over the summer you could see how much she has improved from last year and how great a player she is. She comes in as a [redshirt] freshman on a top-25 team and she does so much for us. She sits here with a double-double and I believe she can do that every night. I think she's just starting to realize how good she is."
 
KEY STATS:
22: USF assisted 22 of its 34 field goals. The Bulls shared the ball with six players scoring in double figures.  
 
NOTABLES: 

• USF starts its season with a 3-0 record for the third time in the past six seasons.
• Maria Jespersen grabbed 9 rebounds, and now sits at 591 career rebounds. Jespersen also has 902 career points
• Laura Ferreira has led the Bulls in rebounds for three-straight outings and averages 11.6 rebounds per game.
• Kitija Laksa has made two-plus three-pointers in her last 11 outings and has gone 18-straight games with at least one trey.
• Laia Flores entered Friday's contest with 11 assists in two games. With her 11 assists against Arkansas State, Flores is now averaging 7.33 assists per game.  

UP NEXT:
The Bulls close out their four-game home stand Monday when they host Butler. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday will be USF's last game before the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla over the Thanksgiving holiday.  
 
Season tickets are still available for purchase, along with three- and five-game flex plans. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
 



To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
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.
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