Ferreira, Laksa lead No. 17 USF women past Butler 71-55

Nov 21, 2017, 02:21 am

TAMPA, Fla. -- Laura Ferreira and Kitija Laksa scored 17 points apiece, Maria Jespersen had a double-double and No. 17 South Florida defeated Butler 71-55 on Monday night.

Jespersen had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls (4-0), who dominated the second quarter but only outscored the Bulldogs (3-1) by one over the other three quarters.

After both teams shot 50 percent to end the first quarter tied at 17, the Bulls made 9 of 13 shots, including three 3-pointers, to lead 40-25 at halftime. Butler, which was off to its best start since 1990, made just 4 of 15 shots, missing all six behind the arc.

With Tori Schickel and Whitney Jennings scoring inside to start the second half, Butler got within 11 but the Bulldogs were down by 20 after an 8-0 USF run and never challenged.

Schickel and Jennings both scored 18 and Schickel pulled down 15 rebounds and blocked four shots.