Brad Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Admin Topic Count: 13,332 Content Count: 96,987 Reputation: 10,808 Days Won: 469 Joined: 05/19/2000 Share Posted January 18, 2018 USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2018 WEB LINK: http://bit.ly/2rdGjLS Follow @USFAthletics On Twitter Like USF Athletics on Facebook Jespersen Steals Show as USF Shoots Past Memphis in Second HalfBy TOM ZEBOLDUSF Senior WriterMEMPHIS, Tenn., JAN. 17, 2018 – Maria Jespersen poured in a career-high 31 points to help No. 23 USF put Memphis away in the second half of an 81-62 win on Wednesday night. USF (15-4, 5-1) trailed at the half but gained distance on Memphis (7-11, 2-3) down the stretch by shooting 71 percent from the field in the second half. USF scored a season-high 46 points in the paint and secured its first win at Elma Roane Fieldhouse since Jan. 31, 2015. Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) shined from start to finish in her 20th-career double-double, matching a career high with 11 made field goals while grabbing 10 rebounds in the Bulls' third straight victory. Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) finished just shy of her career high with 18 points and dished out a game-high six assists. Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) also stepped up with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds to help the Bulls rule the boards by a 42-29 margin. Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) added 14 points while Alyssa Rader (Thornton, Colo.) produced in her first start as a Bull with eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks. USF led for nearly 18 of the game's first 20 minutes but headed into halftime trailing, 30-29, after Brea Elmore knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Jespersen grabbed sole possession of ninth on USF's career rebounds list with six boards in a first quarter that saw the senior boost the Bulls on the offensive end. Jespersen made five of USF's seven field goals and her 11 points powered the Bulls to a 15-7 lead. USF heated up after halftime, shooting 60 percent in the third quarter on the way to a five-point lead. The advantage reached double digits on a Rader layup with 8:35 remaining and the lead kept growing thanks to lockdown defense by the Bulls. Memphis went 5-for-15 from the field in the fourth quarter and committed seven turnovers in the second half.QuotableHead coach Jose Fernandez's thoughts on the victory: "We led in every statistical category at halftime and we're down 1. I like that we defended. We contained the dribble and we did a really good job on the glass."Fernandez on Maria Jespersen's show-stealing performance: "I thought she was assertive, she was ready to go. She spread the floor in transition and she created off the bounce, which was big."Key Stats 66 – USF shot nearly 66 percent from the field overall after making 71 percent of its shots in the second half. 46 – USF posted a season-high 46 points in the paint, its most since scoring 60 from close range against Saint Francis University on Dec. 14, 2016. 42 – The Bulls controlled the boards by a 42-29 margin. 4 – Wednesday marked the fourth straight road victory for the Bulls.Notable USF improved to 11-14 in its all-time series with Memphis. The Bulls have won nine of the past 11 meetings. The Bulls are now 5-1 on the road this season with four straight wins away from the Sun Dome. Wednesday marked only the sixth time the Bulls have scored 40-plus points in the paint in the past two years. Maria Jespersen moved up to ninth on USF's career rebounds list with 737 boards. Jespersen is now nine rebounds away from eighth place (Jessica Dickson, 746, 2003-07). Kitija Laksa needs 29 more points to move into the top 10 on USF's career list. The sharp-shooting junior now has 1,380 points and Aiya Shepard ranks 10th in school history with 1,409 points (1999-03). USF moved up to No. 23 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. USF has been ranked in the Coaches Poll every week this season and has received votes in every AP Top 25 poll. Up Next USF finishes up a two-game road trip at Wichita State on Sunday at 4 p.m. (TV: CBS Sports Network). The Bulls are back at the Sun Dome on Sunday, Jan. 28 to host Temple at noon (TV: ESPNU). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELdaBull Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 86 Content Count: 17,061 Reputation: 1,429 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/15/2005 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Nice victory. Always tough to win on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorcj Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 18 Content Count: 8,878 Reputation: 1,266 Days Won: 28 Joined: 07/12/2013 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Nice to see Maria heat up the shooting! Esp when Kit only has 14 pts, someone has to step up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMABULL Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Bull Backers Topic Count: 30 Content Count: 613 Reputation: 93 Days Won: 2 Joined: 10/04/2005 Share Posted January 18, 2018 As much as i like Laska she needs to remember it is a team sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bausfkid Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 295 Content Count: 4,131 Reputation: 818 Days Won: 15 Joined: 06/20/2005 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Take a look at Maria's body this year vs. her Junior and Sophomore years. She has transformed herself with lots of muscle. Her hard work is paying off. Go Bulls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorcj Posted January 18, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 18 Content Count: 8,878 Reputation: 1,266 Days Won: 28 Joined: 07/12/2013 Share Posted January 18, 2018 2 hours ago, Bausfkid said: Take a look at Maria's body this year vs. her Junior and Sophomore years. She has transformed herself with lots of muscle. Her hard work is paying off. Go Bulls! Most definitely a dramatic change. She moves and looks more athletic, and shows more emotion now too. It's like she decided to be fully invested, just wish she could have done that earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CousinRicky Posted January 19, 2018 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 582 Content Count: 22,677 Reputation: 5,814 Days Won: 108 Joined: 09/13/2007 Share Posted January 19, 2018 15 hours ago, raptorcj said: Most definitely a dramatic change. She moves and looks more athletic, and shows more emotion now too. It's like she decided to be fully invested, just wish she could have done that earlier. I've always found her to be very competitive. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullFan98 Posted January 20, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 258 Content Count: 7,780 Reputation: 328 Days Won: 7 Joined: 08/13/2010 Share Posted January 20, 2018 On fire...let's keep Marching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CousinRicky Posted January 20, 2018 Group: TBP Subscriber III Topic Count: 582 Content Count: 22,677 Reputation: 5,814 Days Won: 108 Joined: 09/13/2007 Share Posted January 20, 2018 11 minutes ago, BullFan98 said: On fire...let's keep Marching. This is a very streaky team when it comes to shooting 3s. Kit can go 0-fer the first half and then hit 5 out of 6 in the second. If it wasn't for Maria making layup after layup in the 1st half that game could have ended differently. Didn't do much as a team from 3 in the first half of that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorcj Posted January 20, 2018 Group: Member Topic Count: 18 Content Count: 8,878 Reputation: 1,266 Days Won: 28 Joined: 07/12/2013 Share Posted January 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Bourbon Bull said: This is a very streaky team when it comes to shooting 3s. Kit can go 0-fer the first half and then hit 5 out of 6 in the second. If it wasn't for Maria making layup after layup in the 1st half that game could have ended differently. Didn't do much as a team from 3 in the first half of that one. That's the reliable balance we're looking for though. Can't rely just on Kit, that's why I love what Maria is doing. I really want to see Laura & Laia be more consistent shooters--if they were, I think we might have a shot at a deeper tourney run. Can't argue their defense, though, the whole team's defense has improved over the last few games IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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