No. 20 USF routs East Carolina 80-44 in American quarters

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Maria Jespersen scored 23 points to lead No. 20 South Florida to an 80-44 rout of East Carolina on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

Kitija Laksa added 21 points for the Bulls (25-6), who jumped out to a 9-2 lead were never threatened. USF led by 12 points at the half and used a 20-6 run to build that to 60-33 after three periods.

USF dominated the game underneath, outrebounding East Carolina 49-27 and outscoring the Pirates 38-18 in the paint.

Freshman Lashonda Monk had 11 points to lead East Carolina, which beat SMU in the tournament's opening round and finishes its season at 16-15.

The victory gives South Florida 25 wins for the third time in program history. The Bulls face UCF in the conference semifinals on Monday and will be looking for a fourth straight trip to the championship game.

The Knights beat Temple 77-70 on Sunday.