By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

MEMPHIS, Tenn., JAN. 17, 2018 – Maria Jespersen poured in a career-high 31 points to help No. 23 USF put Memphis away in the second half of an 81-62 win on Wednesday night.

USF (15-4, 5-1) trailed at the half but gained distance on Memphis (7-11, 2-3) down the stretch by shooting 71 percent from the field in the second half. USF scored a season-high 46 points in the paint and secured its first win at Elma Roane Fieldhouse since Jan. 31, 2015.

Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) shined from start to finish in her 20^th-career double-double, matching a career high with 11 made field goals while grabbing 10 rebounds in the Bulls' third straight victory.

Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) finished just shy of her career high with 18 points and dished out a game-high six assists. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) also stepped up with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds to help the Bulls rule the boards by a 42-29 margin.

Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) added 14 points while Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) produced in her first start as a Bull with eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

USF led for nearly 18 of the game's first 20 minutes but headed into halftime trailing, 30-29, after Brea Elmore knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Jespersen grabbed sole possession of ninth on USF's career rebounds list with six boards in a first quarter that saw the senior boost the Bulls on the offensive end. Jespersen made five of USF's seven field goals and her 11 points powered the Bulls to a 15-7 lead.

USF heated up after halftime, shooting 60 percent in the third quarter on the way to a five-point lead. The advantage reached double digits on a Rader layup with 8:35 remaining and the lead kept growing thanks to lockdown defense by the Bulls. Memphis went 5-for-15 from the field in the fourth quarter and committed seven turnovers in the second half.

Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on the victory:
"We led in every statistical category at halftime and we're down 1. I like that we defended. We contained the dribble and we did a really good job on the glass."

Fernandez on Maria Jespersen's show-stealing performance:
"I thought she was assertive, she was ready to go. She spread the floor in transition and she created off the bounce, which was big."

Key Stats
66 – USF shot nearly 66 percent from the field overall after making 71 percent of its shots in the second half.
46 – USF posted a season-high 46 points in the paint, its most since scoring 60 from close range against Saint Francis University on Dec. 14, 2016.
42 – The Bulls controlled the boards by a 42-29 margin.
4 – Wednesday marked the fourth straight road victory for the Bulls.

Notable

• USF improved to 11-14 in its all-time series with Memphis. The Bulls have won nine of the past 11 meetings.
• The Bulls are now 5-1 on the road this season with four straight wins away from the Sun Dome.
• Wednesday marked only the sixth time the Bulls have scored 40-plus points in the paint in the past two years.
• Maria Jespersen moved up to ninth on USF's career rebounds list with 737 boards. Jespersen is now nine rebounds away from eighth place (Jessica Dickson, 746, 2003-07).
• Kitija Laksa needs 29 more points to move into the top 10 on USF's career list. The sharp-shooting junior now has 1,380 points and Aiya Shepard ranks 10^th in school history with 1,409 points (1999-03).
• USF moved up to No. 23 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. USF has been ranked in the Coaches Poll every week this season and has received votes in every AP Top 25 poll.

 
Up Next
USF finishes up a two-game road trip at Wichita State on Sunday at 4 p.m. (TV: CBS Sports Network).

The Bulls are back at the Sun Dome on Sunday, Jan. 28 to host Temple at noon (TV: ESPNU). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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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.