TAMPA, FEB. 24, 2018 – With an 84-65 victory over Cincinnati Sunday, seniors Maria Jespersen and Laia Flores became the winningest class in program history. The seniors collected win number 99 in front of a crowd of over 2,500 fans at the Sun Dome.
 
USF (24-5, 13-2 The American) utilized all nine players on their active roster but the two seniors shined brighter than ever. Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) scored 26 points and grabbed a season high 16 rebounds. The double-double outing marked her 17^th this season. Jespersen shot 50 percent from the floor and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Flores (Mataro, Spain), known for her flashy passing, dished out a new season high, 12 assists. The point guard also added two blocks and two steals.
 
USF held Cincinnati (17-11, 9-6) to 15 points in each of the first three quarters and held its tenth team in the last 11 games to just 65 points.
 
The Bulls had four players in double figures. Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) turned in 22 while Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) just missed a double-double with 12 points and eight assists. Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) added 14 points.
 
Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez's the seniors' finale:
"For those two seniors, it's been an emotional week. For what they've meant to our program, not only as teammates but as people and as student-athletes at the University of South Florida, we're going to miss them. Maria had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Laia having 12 assists, hopefully this isn't the last game we play in the Sun Dome this season. They've' been really, really special to this program and this university.

Key Stats
21 – The Bulls had a balanced offense with 21 assists on 26 field goals.  
36 – USF out-rebounded Cincinnati 36-27.

Notable

• Jespersen's 17 double-doubles leads The American and the senior has recorded a #DenmarkDouble in each of the Bulls last five games. Jespersen has turned in double-double performances in 9 of her last 11 outings.
• Flores' 12 assists are a season high and the senior has recorded 10-plus assists on seven different occasions this year.  
• The Bulls are 13-1 at home this season, including a 7-1 record at home in The American. Since 2014, the Bulls are 51-9 at the Sun Dome. USF boasts a 28-6 all-time record in The American at the Dome.
• USF has out-rebounded its opponents in its last eight outings.

Up Next
The Bulls travel to Storrs for their regular season finale at UConn. USF will face the No. 1 team for the second time this season. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN2 for "Big Monday."

The 2018 Senior Class Video 


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 –