TAMPA, FEB. 19, 2017 – A flurry of scoring in the fourth quarter was not enough for the No 22 University of South Florida women's basketball team Sunday. The Bulls lost 77-71 to No. 25 Temple at Sun Dome Arena.

The Bulls (20-6, 9-4 The American) took a three-point lead with less than three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 13-point deficit at halftime. USF outscored Temple 45-38 in the second half, powered by 18 points from Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark). Jespersen finished with a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) added her own double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) tallied 14 points, 12 in the second half.

USF started slow, with just eight field goals in the first half, shooting 24 percent (8-for-33). Laksa rattled off six points at the start of the third quarter, and with the Bulls' first three pointer of the game, by Jespersen, USF cut the deficit to seven points. The Bulls remained within single digits the rest of the game.

Jespersen gave USF its first lead in the fourth quarter with 4:57 to play and then again with 2:46 left on the clock when the junior drew a foul for a traditional three-point play. The Bulls led 67-64, but the Owls ended the contest on a 13-4 run.    

Temple (21-5, 11-2 The American) secured a second place standing in the league, and had four players in double figures. Feyonda Fitzgerald finished with 23 points while Donnaizha Fountain added 22.

Quotables

Head coach Jose Fernandez on his team's effort:

“Up three and we don't get a defensive stop. It was a long three from the left wing and we didn't block out and that's what it comes down to. We weren't ourselves. The ball was not going in, and we didn't do those other things. When the ball isn't going you, you can always defend. And I don't think we did that.”

Key Stat

20 – Temple scored 20 points off of 12 USF turnovers.

4 – USF only connected on four of 17 three-point attempts and were held, for the first time this season, without a single three-pointer in the first half.

Notables

Jespersen tallied her ninth double-double this season, and matched her career-high 26 points for the fourth time. It was the seventh straight contest Jespersen turned in at least 13 points.

Henshaw's double-double was her fourth. It was also the third time in the last four games the freshman has grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Bulls lost back-to-back conference games for the first time since playing in the Big East (2012-13).

USF will close out its season with four games in nine days.

Up Next

USF will play its second game in three days for the second time in as many weeks Tuesday. The Bulls will travel to Houston for a 7 p.m. match-up at Hofheinz Pavilion.

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

USF has 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 ninth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all nine 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 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 nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.

– #GoBulls –