ESTERO, FLA., NOV. 26, 2017 – The USF women's basketball team finished third at the Gulf Coast Showcase after finishing the weekend 2-1. The Bulls defeated St. John's, 68-59, in their third game in three days at Germain Arena.
 
Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) led the Bulls (6-1) with 25 points and finished 7-for-10 from the floor. The senior went 3-for-3 from behind the arc and added seven rebounds. Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds while Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) tallied 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Bulls only trailed once in the contest, by one point with under two minutes to go in the first quarter. USF never looked back and carried a 10-point lead into the second half. St. John's (3-2) outscored USF 18-13 in the third quarter, but the Bulls went 9-for-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.
 
KEY STATS:
73%: In a tightly contested match-up, the Bulls shot 72.7 percent in the second quarter and outscored St. John's 19-10. USF's defense held the Red Storm to 22.2 percent, and to 1-for-6 from long range.
 
NOTABLES: 

• USF defeated St. John's for the third time in program history. Sunday's win was the first since Jan. 10, 2009.  
• The Bulls finish third in their first appearance at the Gulf Coast Showcase. USF defeated Washington State, 82-45, in the first round. The Bulls lost to Notre Dame, 76-66, in the semifinal and beat St. John's, 68-59.
• Kitija Laksa landed on the All-Tournament team and averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 three-pointers per game at the showcase. Laksa finished 50 percent (27-of-54) from the floor and 62 percent (16-of-26) from long range.
• The Bulls finish the month of November with a 6-1 record.
• Maria Jespersen inches closer to 1,000 career points. The senior sits at 960 points and 629 rebounds. The forward is on pace to become only the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 600 rebounds.
• Kitija Laksa has made two-plus three-pointers in her last 15 outings and has gone 22-straight games with at least one trey.  

UP NEXT:
The Bulls remain on the road and will take their first trip outside the state of Florida Saturday. USF travels to George Washington for a 2 p.m. matinee Dec. 2.   
 
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.
– #GoBulls –