Kitija Laksa hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left in regulation before USF’s 2016-17 season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 66-64 loss to Missouri in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.
Sixth-seeded Missouri (22-10) led by six with less than two minutes remaining and advanced on a last-second layup by Sierra Michaelis at Florida State’s Donald L. Tucker Center. No. 11 seed USF (24-9) took a 13-point lead into halftime in the program’s fourth NCAA tournament trip in the past five seasons.
Senior Ariadna Pujol got the Bulls going early with 16 of her game-high 20 points in the first half. Pujol went 6-for-12 from the field and made three of USF’s eight 3-pointers.
Laksa added to her program sophomore season scoring record with 19 points. Laksa finished the season with 634 points, good for fifth on USF’s all-time scoring list.
Laia Flores finished her junior season with 11 points, four rebounds and set a new USF NCAA tournament record with eight assists. The point guard from Mataro, Spain also owns the program’s season assist record with 200, 10 ahead of Anedra Gilmore’s previous top mark in 2004-05.
First team all-conference selection Maria Jespersen scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds, just one short of her career-high.
USF knocked down six 3-pointers and shot 50-percent on the way to a 38-25 halftime lead.
Missouri opened the game on a 9-0 run and USF responded in a big way with a 12-0 run of its own. Pujol led the charge with seven points, including two layups off steals. Pujol’s 10 points powered USF to a 19-14 lead by the end of the first quarter that saw the Bulls score 10 points off turnovers.
USF regained the lead in the second quarter during a 13-0 run that ended with three straight 3-pointers. Flores’ first of three buckets from long range pumped the Bulls' advantage up to 34-22 with 1:49 left in the half.
Pujol made half of USF’s six 3-pointers in her 16-point first half, while Jespersen grabbed 10 rebounds to help the Bulls start with a 20-12 edge on the glass. USF also dished out 10 assists on 13 field goals and scored 13 points off turnovers.
Missouri cut into USF’s 13-point halftime lead by outscoring the Bulls, 18-8, in the third quarter. The Tigers scored 23 points in the fourth quarter and advanced in their return trip to the NCAA tournament.