By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TULSA, Okla., FEB. 25, 2017 – Led by red-hot Kitija Laksa, USF locked up the third seed for the American Athletic Conference Championship with a 90-64 win at Tulsa on Saturday afternoon.

Laksa reached new career milestones by going 6-for-6 from long range and shooting 92 percent overall (13-for-14) during her 34-point performance in the Bulls' regular season road finale. The star sophomore from Riga, Latvia scored 27 points in the second half and posted her eighth career 30-point game despite playing just 26 minutes.

Laksa produced USF's third-ever perfect performance from 3-point range (minimum of five attempts) and became the first Bull to go 6-for-6. Her hot-shooting afternoon helped USF finish 61 percent from the floor and 57 percent from long range.

USF (22-6, 11-4) became just the second team in program history to register at least 22 regular season wins. Head coach Jose Fernandez's Bulls accomplished the feat with a complete team performance against Tulsa (8-20, 4-11).

Three-time conference freshman of the week Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) added to her stellar debut season as a Bull with a career-high 15 points and nine rebounds. Junior Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) went 7-for-15 from the field and finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

Junior point guard Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) nearly reached a triple-double once again, matching her career best with nine rebounds, along with nine points and seven assists. USF dominated the boards by a 37-23 margin.  

Before it turned into a rout, USF jumped out to a 36-26 halftime lead by shooting 56 percent from the field. Jespersen led the way with 11 points, while Flores was a force on both ends of the floor with five points and eight rebounds.

Flores' aggressiveness on the glass helped the Bulls outrebound Tulsa, 21-11, in the opening half. USF's defense allowed only six points in the second quarter and off-balance Tulsa shot 35 percent before the break. The Golden Hurricane heated up early, shooting 58 percent in the opening period.

Laksa battled foul trouble early, starting with seven points in the first half and before exploding for 13 points in the third quarter to help boost the lead up to 61-46. Laksa's 34-point outing moved up the forward up to seventh on USF's single-season scoring chart with 552 total points.

Quotables

Head coach Jose Fernandez on Kitija Laksa's 27-point outburst in the second half:

“She only played 26 minutes because she picked up those two fouls in the first two and a half minutes of the game. That's unlike her, and then she's got three in the first half and we had to sit her. We're a different team without her on the floor.”

Head coach Jose Fernandez on reaching 22 regular season wins for the second time in program history:

“This is a big win for us because this is win No. 22 for us on the year and you get that bye in the first round of the tournament.”

Head coach Jose Fernandez on the Bulls' preparation for Monday's home game against No. 1 UConn:

“Our kids understand how we've played against Connecticut. I'm sure they'll be looking forward to playing that game again.”

Notables

- As the third seed, USF is scheduled to play the 6/11 seed winner in the conference championship quarterfinals on Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m. (ESPN3). The tournament will once again take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

- The Bulls have totaled at least 22 regular season wins for just the second time in program history. USF won 24 games during the 2014-15 regular season and finished with a program record of 27.

- USF improved to 4-0 in its all-time series with Tulsa after defeating the Golden Hurricane, 84-68, in the programs' first meeting of the season in Tampa on Jan. 7.

- Laksa joined Shantia Grace and Jenny Koeppel as the only players in program history to go at least 5-for-5 from 3-point range in a game.

- Laksa posted her seventh 30-point game of the season and eighth of her career, good for second-most in USF history. Wanda Guyton holds the record with nine 30-point performances.

- Laksa needs 34 more points to tie Courtney Williams' sophomore record of 586 points in a season.

Up Next

USF will host top-ranked UConn in the regular season finale that's set for 7 p.m. Monday at the Sun Dome. The conference showdown will be a part of ESPN2's Big Monday coverage.

Prior to the game, USF will honor four senior members of the team in a special ceremony set to begin at approximately 6:35 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.

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 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 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 –