TAMPA, FEB. 7, 2018 – No. 22 USF made a triumphant return to the Sun Dome Wednesday night and disposed of East Carolina, 88-47. The Bulls had five players reach double-figures, including their two freshmen, who combined for 24 points.
 
It's been two months since the Bulls have made 10-plus three-pointers, but the magic of the Dome boosted the Bulls to 14 treys. USF shot 50 percent from behind the arc, converting 14-of-28 from long range.
 
Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) turned in her 10^th 20-point outing this season, and led all scorers with 25 points. Laksa finished 10-for-17 from the floor in her best shooting performance in conference play. Laksa tallied five three-pointers and added four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) netted 16 points and finished 71 percent from the floor. Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) joined the pair with 12 points.
 
The story of the night was freshman Alba Prieto (Seville, Spain) and Vanessa Blagmon (Stockbridge, Ga.) combining for 24 points and finished 8-for-12 from the floor. The pair turned in six three-pointers, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and just missed a double-double with nine points.
 
Quotables
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on the Bulls' offense:
"I'm pleased with how we shot the ball. I don't think we've shot the ball like that in a long, long time."
 
Head coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on freshmen Alba Prieto and Vanessa Blagmon:
They are going to have really nice careers here. They stayed with the process and have continued to work, invest and put in time. They got opportunities tonight and played very well."

Key Stats
49 – The Bulls dominated the glass and held a 49-34 rebounding advantage. USF has reached 49-plus rebounds in each of its last four games.  
21 – The Bulls scored 20-plus second chance-points for the third straight contest.   
20 – USF tallied 20 assists on 29 field goals.

Notable

• USF has held opponents to single digits in a quarter 18 times this season. The Bulls held Washington State scoreless, Houston Baptist to four points and Tulsa to five points in a single quarter.
• Kitija Laksa moved into ninth place on USF's all-time career scoring list. The junior has 1,463 points and is seven points shy from the No. 8 spot, held by Jackie Eisnehauer ('91).
• The Bulls improved to 9-1 at home this season.
• USF is one win away from its sixth-straight 20-win season.

Up Next
The Bulls host No. 13 Ohio State in a top-25 match-up Sunday. The ESPN2 broadcast is set for 2 p.m.   
 
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 –