TAMPA, Fla. -- Kitija Laksa scored 32 points, Maria Jespersen had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 18 South Florida beat Houston 81-65 on Wednesday night to seal the No. 2 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
It was Laksa's second straight 30-plus game and her fifth of the season. Jespersen recorded her league-best 16th double-double of the season in the first half with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ten of her points came in the final 3:10 of the second quarter as South Florida finished the half on a 17-0 run for a 42-33 lead.