Bulls End Regular Season at No. 1 UConn

Bulls End Regular Season at No. 1 UConn

Matchup: 18/17 USF (24-5, 13-2) vs. 1/1 UConn (28-0, 15-0)
Date: Monday, Feb. 26
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Storrs, Conn. | Gampbel Pavilion
Watch: ESPN2
Radio: AM 1040 | BullsUnlimited (Darek Sharp)
Follow: Listen | Live Stats |  Twitter
 
TAMPA, FEB. 25, 2018 – No. 17 USF will face No. 1 UConn Monday night in front of a national audience. The Bulls will play their fourth top-15 team in their regular season finale on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
 
The Bulls (24-5, 13-2 The American) enter Monday's match-up fresh off their ninth-straight win. USF disposed of Cincinnati, 84-65, in its 24th win this season. The Bulls matched their win totals of the last two seasons. The most wins recorded in program history is 27. Only two teams in program history have recorded 25 wins in a single season.
 
USF's senior class of Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) and Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) had career games in their last outing at the Sun Dome. Jespersen collected her 13th 20-point outing this season with a game-high 26 points. Jespersen leads the team in scoring in The American with 20.3 points per game. The forward's 17 double-doubles rank eighth in NCAA Division I.
 
Flores recorded her seventh 10-plus assists game with a season high 12 assists. Flores ranks fourth in the country with a 3.80 assist turnover ratio and her 190 assists lead the league and rank tenth among the nation's best. Flores is 10 assists away from tying the Bulls' single season record which the senior set last season.
 
THE OPPONENT
UConn (28-0, 15-0 The American) remains unbeaten and claimed The American regular season title with an 80-36 victory at SMU Sunday. The Huskies average 90.5 points per game and lead the county in field goal percentage, shooting at a 53.4 clip.
The Bulls and Huskies will meet for the 25th time in program history. The pair first met in 2002 and UConn has never lost to USF. The pair last met in Tampa on Jan. 6 and won 100-49.
 
NOTABLES
  • No matter the outcome, the Bulls final record in the league will be the best in program history. USF's best finish in The American is 15-3 (.833) in 2014-15. The American shifted to a 16-game schedule in 2016-17 season and the Bulls finished 11-5 (.688).
  • Kitija Laksa leads the conference with 21.0 points per game. The junior is one of 10 players with at least 100 three-point field goals this season. The junior's 105 treys rank sixth in Division I.
  • Laksa continues to lead the country in free throw percentage. Laksa has converted 101-of-104 free throw attempts. Laksa's 97 free throw percentage is the best of any division, men or women.
  • The senior duo of Maria Jespersen and Laia Flores are one win away from 100-career victories. The pair are already the winningest class in program history.
  • Jespersen has a league-best 17 double-doubles this season.
  • Flores leads the league in three different categories: assist-turnover ratio (3.80), assists (190) and assists per game (6.6). She ranks in the top 20 nationally in all three categories.
  • Throughout the month of February, the Bulls will compete in a national fundraiser for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. For every free throw made, fans can pledge funds toward the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Bulls current free throw tally is 132 made free throws.
  • USF is currently No. 18 in the AP poll and is No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. The Bulls started the season ranked No. 23/22 and peaked at No. 16 (AP – week 4) and No. 16 (Coaches – weeks 3-4). USF has been ranked in the coaches' poll every week and has received votes in every AP Poll. The program's highest ranking in both polls was in 2016, when the Bulls were ranked No. 15 (AP – Jan. 18 | Coaches – Jan. 19). 
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
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 –
 
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