TAMPA, JAN. 31, 2018 – American Athletic Conference player of the week, Maria Jespersen, turned in a game-high 26 points Wednesday night and powered the Bulls past Tulsa, 71-57. Jespersen recorded her 11^th double-double this season at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa.
 
Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) scored 18 of her 26 points in the second half, finished 6-for-12 from the floor and the senior recorded a career-high 13 free throws. The forward added 13 rebounds, matching her season high and added three assists, one block, and one steal.
 
The Bulls never trailed thanks to an early 18-5 lead in the first quarter and carried a 10-point lead into the locker room at half time. Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) turned it on in the fourth quarter and scored 10 of her 17 points in the final frame. Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) and Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) each added nine points and eight rebounds. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) contributed six points and eight rebounds.

Key Stats
5 – USF held Tulsa to 5 points in the first quarter.
20 – The Bulls scored 20 second chance-points and limited the Golden Hurricane to 4.  
30 – USF outscored its opponent in the paint for the fifth time in the last six outings. The Bulls netted 30 points in the paint.

Notable

• USF has held opponents to single digits in a quarter 15 times this season. The Bulls held Washington State scoreless, Houston Baptist to four points and Tulsa to five points in a single quarter.
• Maria Jespersen scored 20-plus points for the eighth time this season. She has led the team in scoring five times in The American.
• The Bulls improved to 6-2 on the road this season.
• USF remains perfect against the Golden Hurricane. The Bulls boast a perfect 5-0 record against Tulsa.
• USF is three wins away from their sixth-straight 20-win season.

Up Next
USF remains on the road and travels to New Orleans. The Bulls will take on Tulane Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.
 
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 –