No. 16 USF Faces Oklahoma Saturday
Matchup: No. 16 USF (7-1) vs. RV/- Oklahoma (3-5)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Location: Norman, Okla. | Lloyd Noble Center
Watch: N/A
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: AM 1040 | Bulls Unlimited (
Darek Sharp)
Follow: Listen | Stats | Twitter
TAMPA, DEC. 8, 2017 – The USF women's basketball team will close out its five-game road swing Saturday at Oklahoma. The Bulls will take on the Sooners at 3 p.m. EST at the Lloyd Noble Center.
USF (7-1) looks to reach eight wins in nine games for the second straight season. The Bulls are off to a hot start offensively. Their 77.4 points per game ranks among the best in the country and their 19.1 scoring margin is 30
th in Division I. Wade Trophy candidate,
Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia), is second in the country with 35 three-pointers this season and her 4.68 three-point field goals per game ranks third.
Laksa isn't the only athlete ranking in the top-5 nationally. Senior floor general
Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) has an assist to turnover ratio of 4.82, which is the third best ratio in Division I. The Bulls are led on the boards by
Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark), who is fresh off her fourth double-double this season. Jespersen averages 17.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. The senior forward is 15 points shy from 1,000 career points.
THE OPPONENT
Oklahoma (3-5) started the season ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' poll. The Sooners have received votes every week in the AP poll. Oklahoma is looking to reverse a four-game skid which include losses to South Dakota State, Florida and No. 10 Oregon. The Sooners are led by Vionise Pierre-Louis with 16 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Oklahoma is averaging 77.6 points and 41.5 rebounds per game.
USF and Oklahoma will meet for the second time in program history. The Bulls hold a 1-0 series advantage and will face the Sooners for the first time in Norman, Okla. The pair last met in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 27, 2014. The Bulls ran away with an 83-68 victory.
NOTABLES
- USF remains on the road for its fifth straight game. The Bulls' last home game was Nov. 20 vs. Butler. USF is 2-1 in neutral site games and 1-0 on the road.
- The Bulls are playing their second game in 15 days. The break was due to finals and will be the last before a grueling four games in seven days prior to the holiday.
- Laksa has made two-plus three-pointers in her last 16 outings and has gone 23-straight games with at least one trey.
- Maria Jespersen inches closer to 1,000 career points. The senior sits at 985 points and 642 rebounds. The forward is on pace to become only the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 600 rebounds.
- Laia Flores leads the league in three different categories: assist-turnover ratio (4.82), assists (53) and assists per game (6.6). She ranks in the top-25 nationally in all three categories.
- USF is currently ranked No. 16 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches' Poll. The Bulls started the season ranked No. 23/22 and peaked at No. 16 (AP – week 4) and No. 16 (Coaches – weeks 3-4 ). USF has been ranked in both polls every week. The program's highest ranking in both polls was in 2016 when the Bulls were ranked No. 15 (AP – Jan. 18 | Coaches – Jan. 19)
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (
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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 –
