TAMPA, JAN. 28, 2018 – The Bulls burst out of the locker room in the third quarter and scored 31 points to secure the sweep of Temple for the first time in three years. No. 23 USF defeated the Owls 76-60 at the Sun Dome Sunday.
 
After a week hiatus, the Bulls jumped back into the win column and improved to 6-2 in the conference. USF (16-5) scored 31 points in the third quarter and shot 55 percent in the frame. Junior sharp-shooter Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) scored 11 of her 13 in the third quarter.
 
Senior Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) scored a game-high 24 points and turned in a nearly perfect offensive outing. The forward finished 8-of-11 from the floor, 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Jespersen also filled her stat line with six rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
 
Jespersen reached double-figures in the first half for the third straight game, keeping the Bulls in striking distance of the Owls, who led 31-30 at the break. The Bulls outscored the Owls 46-29 in the final 20 minutes thanks to Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain), who dished out four of her seven assists in the second half and moved into second on the all-time career assists list with 430 helpers.
 
Alyssa Rader (Thronton, Colo.) was dominant on the glass with 14 rebounds in her first start at the Dome while sophomore Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) turned in her first double-double this season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Alba Prieto (Seville, Spain) provided a much needed spark off the bench and tallied eight points and five rebounds.

Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on the game:
"I was pleased with how we came out of the locker room at half time and started the third quarter. We played a lot of guys in the first half but I thought we came out with good energy out of the locker room, scored in transition and shared the ball. That's what we needed. We took care of the ball and did a great job rebounding."

Key Stats
36 – USF outscored its opponent in the paint for the fourth time in its last five outings. The Bulls turned in 36 points in the paint, largely in part to 19 offensive rebounds. The Bulls converted 19 points off second chance opportunities.
31 – USF's 31 points in the third quarter was one point shy of its highest scoring third quarter this season. The Bulls turned in 32 against Southern. Prior to Sunday's contest, USF averaged 18.6 points in the third quarter.

Notable

• USF swept Temple for the first time since the 2014-15 season and the third time since the inception of The American.
• The Bulls improved to 8-1 at home this season.
• Kitija Laksa's free throw streak ended at 42 and she missed her second free throw of the season. The junior's season average moved to 96.3 (53-of-55).
• Kitija Laksa's 13 points moved her to the No. 10 spot on the USF Career scoring list. She joins Aiya Shepard ('03) with 1,409 career points.
• Laia Flores secured second on the all-time career assists lists moving her career total to 430. She passed Renee Bellamy ('94). Shantia Grace ('09) sits atop the list with 610 career assists.
• Flores' 128 assists this season is 10^th in the single season records. The senior set the top mark of 200 last season.
• Maria Jespersen has turned in seven 20+ point performances this season, four in conference action.

Up Next
USF embarks on a two-game road swing, Jan. 31-Feb. 3. The Bulls will close out the month of January at Tulsa on Wednesday and wrap up the swing at Tulane, Saturday. USF returns to the Sun Dome for a three-game home stand which includes a top-25 showdown with No. 12/14 Ohio State Feb. 11.
 
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.
– #GoBulls –