TAMPA, FEB. 21, 2018 – No. 17 USF defeated Houston, 81-65, Wednesday night and clinched the No. 2 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bulls utilized a suffocating 17-0 run at the end of the first half to spark their third 80-point outing in six games.
 
USF (23-5, 12-2 The American) took the first quarter to adjust to a wild Cougars (20-8, 9-5) team. Down five at the end of the first quarter, the Bulls went to work. USF chipped away at a Houston lead of 10 points and a jumper by Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) sparked a burst of offense in the final three minutes of the half. The Bulls made three of their five first-half three-pointers in the final minutes and carried a 42-33 lead into the break.
 
The hot-streak extended into the second half, as USF stretched its run to 21-0, forcing a Houston timeout. The Bulls never looked back. Laksa finished with 32 points while Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jespersen collected her 16^th double-double of the season in the first 20 minutes with 13 points and 11 boards.
 
Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) distributed 11 of the team's 16 assists and added seven points and five rebounds. The senior only committed two turnovers. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) remained constant in her defensive prowess and collected nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. The redshirt-junior also added five points and four assists.
 
Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on Houston:
"Give credit to Houston, they are a tough team to prepare for. Everything they do on the defensive end: jump between man-to-man, 1-2-2 zone, corner court, trapping in the half court, they make you do things you're not used to seeing in practice. It's hard to mimic that many variations. I thought we needed to do a great job of keeping them in front of us and defending the arc."
 
Head coach Jose Fernandez's keys to the game:
We told our team, we need to play through their physicality and play through fouls. Houston averages 24-25 fouls per game. We had to meet passes and play through that physicality. We closed the half and came out into the first three, four minutes of the third quarter, that was good to see. Us getting to the line and making our free throws was huge."

Key Stats
45 – The Bulls out-rebounded Houston 45-36.
27 – USF converted 27-of-31 free throw attempts.
26 – The Bulls scored 26 points in the paint and limited Houston to just 18.  

Notable

• Jespersen's 16 double-doubles lead The American and the senior has recorded a #DenmarkDouble in each of the Bulls last four games. Jespersen has turned in double-double performances in 8 of her last 10 outings.
• Laksa has scored 30-points in back-to-back games for the first time in her career. The junior has collected 12, 30-point performances in her three years, including five this season.  
• Flores' 11 assists are a season high, which she has reached five times this season.
• The Bulls are 12-1 at home this season, including a 6-1 record at home in The American. Since 2014, the Bulls are 50-9 at the Sun Dome. USF boasts a 27-6 all-time record in The American at the Dome.
• USF has outrebounded its opponents in its last eight outings.

Up Next
The Bulls will play their final regular season contest at the Sun Dome Saturday. USF hosts Cincinnati at 5 p.m. in the second part of a USF basketball double-header. The Bulls will recognize their two seniors, Maria Jespersen and Laia Flores, prior to the game. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 4:45.

About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season in an 84-65 romp of No. 13 Ohio State. 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 holds the 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 –