By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

UNCASVILLE, Conn., MARCH 4, 2018 – Second-seeded USF punched its ticket to the American Athletic Conference semifinals for the fifth straight season by powering past seventh-seeded East Carolina, 80-44, Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

No. 20/19 USF (25-6, 14-3 in AAC) reached 25 wins for just the third time in school history after posting the program's most lopsided victory in AAC tournament history. ECU (16-15) shot just 31 percent from the field and was limited to 22 points in each half (11 in each quarter).

First team all-conference selection Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) led the way with a game-high 23 points and went 8-for-16 from the field while USF shot 53 percent overall.

Sharp-shooting junior Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) knocked down five of USF's nine three-pointers and the first team all-conference pick finished with 21 points in her 15^th 20-point performance of the season.

Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) was a force all over the court with 10 points, three steals, two blocks, two assists and 11 rebounds to help the Bulls rule the boards by a 49-27 margin.

Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) posted six points, eight rebounds and dished out a game-high nine assists. The point guard now has 203 assists as a senior after previously setting the USF season record with 200 in 2016-17.

USF's stars shined from the start with Laksa and Jespersen combining for 25 points to help the Bulls take a 34-22 halftime lead in the locker room.

USF set the tone early with a 9-2 run to open the game and 10 points from Laksa boosted the Bulls to a 17-11 lead by the end of the first quarter. The conference's scholar-athlete of the year sank a trio of three-pointers and led all players with 13 points in the first half of her 29^th double-digit scoring game this season.

Jespersen heated up with eight points in the second quarter and headed in the half with 12 points after going 5-for-10 from the field. USF shot 50 percent in the second quarter and 44 percent overall in the first half after starting with a 16-8 scoring advantage in the paint.

Firing on all cylinders, USF pumped its lead up to 60-33 after closing the third quarter on a 20-6 run. The Bulls shot 59 percent in the period while outscoring ECU, 26-11, and some notable school history was made in the process. Flores broke her own school record of 200 assists with five assists in the third quarter.

Ferreira became the third Bull to jump into double-digit scoring figures in USF's 20-point fourth quarter. Sophomore Tamara Henshaw (Palm Coast, Fla.) ended up scoring nine of USF's 13 bench points and matched her season high with 10 rebounds.

Quotable
Head coach Jose Fernandez on USF's ability to run away from ECU in the second half:
"That first half, I wasn't very pleased. We turned it over nine times and we were shooting 44 percent from the floor in that first half. I just told our guys, 'We've got to do a much better job taking care of it.' Defensively, they only had 22 at the half and then that third quarter, we really got out and ran. Our wings sprinted and we got some really good rim runs."

Fernandez on Laia Flores dishing out a game-high nine assists:
"Laia sets the table for us. I think she doesn't get the recognition in this country on the job that she does. A lot of people look at how many points, how many rebounds, but she just finds people. When our wings run and our posts rim run, she does a great job of getting the ball where the ball needs to get to. I thought in transition, that third quarter was fun to watch."

Fernandez on the keys to success against UCF in Monday's semifinal matchup:
"Live-ball turnovers, that's the biggest thing. We know that they're going to press us 1-2-2. They're going to run and jump, we're going to see 2-2-1 and then they're going to play in that 3-2 zone. We've got to do a great job taking care of the basketball, valuing the ball, meaning passes. We can't just be a one-shot-and-out team. We've got to get stuff off the glass against that zone tomorrow."

Key Stats
49 – The Bulls grabbed 49 rebounds compared to ECU's 27.
38 – USF dominated in points in the paint by a 38-18 margin.
36:22 – USF's total timing leading ECU.
19 – USF tallied assists on 19 of 30 total field goals.

Notable

• USF improved to 5-0 all-time in quarterfinal games at American Athletic Conference Championship.
• USF is two victories away from matching the program season record of 27 wins (2008-09, 2014-15).
• With five boards against ECU, Maria Jespersen moved into a tie for fifth on USF's all-time rebounding chart. Jespersen and Jessica Lawson (2007-10) have each posted 863 rebounds with the Bulls.
• Kitija Laksa is now five three-pointers away from matching Janae Stokes' school season record of 117 set in 2008-09.
• Laia Flores now has 505 career assists, good for second on USF's all-time list, after passing the 200-assist mark for the second straight season.
• USF has won 10 of its past 11 games after taking a nine-game winning streak in the regular season finale.

Up Next
USF will face third third-seeded UCF in the semifinals 4:30 p.m. Monday at Mohegan Sun Arena (TV: ESPNU).

The Bulls will be looking to book a trip to the championship game for the fourth consecutive season. USF took both games against the rival Knights in the War on I-4 series this regular season.
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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.