ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF Knights take on the USF Bulls in, perhaps, the Knights’ biggest game of the season Sunday.

UCF’s (17-8, 9-3 in American Athletic Conference) only three losses in conference play come against the No. 1 UConn Huskies and Sunday’s visiting team, the 22nd-ranked USF Bulls.

With postseason and conference-tournament implications on the line, the Knights look to recreate some of their magic from last season. UCF beat a ranked Bulls team last season 66-62 in Tampa, Florida, as Aliyah Gregory scored a game-high 34 points to help the Knights to their first-ever win over a ranked team.

But history seems to favor the Bulls. USF holds a 23-5 advantage in the all-time series with UCF, including its most recent win, a 62-45 decision in Tampa, on Jan. 14.

Here’s what to expect when the Knights host USF for the 29th game between the two teams on Sunday at noon. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

–

Explosive Kitija Laksa Leads USF’s Offense

USF’s Kitija Laksa is one of the most explosive scorers in college women’s basketball. She leads the Bulls in scoring with 20.1 points per game, good enough for 28th in the nation.

Laksa’s most impressive performance this season came in a career-high, 41-point outing against then-No. 13 Ohio State University on Feb. 11. In that game, she went 15-for-27 from the field, including 8-for-13 from 3-point range, in 37 minutes.

“Yeah, obviously she’s a huge threat, and I think because [USF was an] out-of-conference team, [Ohio State] didn’t really think she was that good, and she’s that good,” Knights head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said after practice on Feb. 16. “And so I think that when you play within conference, we all know that… But, you know, she’s a great player. She does great things, and, you know, that’s pretty amazing.”

It was the second time Laksa scored 40 points in her career, notching 40 in a 108-48 win over Southern University earlier this season. Laksa scored 33 of her points from beyond the arc, shooting 11-for-12 from 3-point range and 13-for-16 from the field against the Jags.

Statistically, Laksa appears to be a one-trick pony, though. She mainly contributes to the Bulls with her impressive scoring, as she only averages 3.8 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game and 0.8 steals per game.

Laksa has averaged 19 points per game in four games against UCF, most recently scoring 16 on Jan. 14. Her career-high against the Knights is 29 points in an 88-49 win on Jan. 24, 2016.

In total this year, she’s shooting 40 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point range (92-for-237).

“She’s a very good player, but I think we just need to focus on ourselves and our defense,” Gregory said after practice on Feb. 16. “So I think we have a very good defense–we’re No. 5 in the country. So I think if we stick to our principles, we’ll be able to contain her.”

Bulls Forward Maria Jespersen Can Also Score

Maria Jespersen doesn’t have the scoring numbers that Laksa has, but she’s not far behind. The 6-foot forward from Denmark is averaging 18.1 points per game this season after scoring a combined 8.5 points per game in three previous seasons.

This season, she has scored in double figures in all but three of the Bulls’ 26 games. Her career-high was a 31-point outing at the University of Memphis on Jan. 17, 2018, on 11-for-21 shooting.

Unlike Laksa, Jespersen’s game is more interior-based. Laksa takes over 53 percent of her shots from beyond the arc, and Jespersen’s 3-point attempts only make up 34 percent of her shots. Jespersen is shooting 35.1 percent from 3-point range this season.

Jespersen ranks 71st in the nation in scoring.

“No matter what, if we can’t make shots…we still gotta concentrate on defense,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “I mean, I think we’ve learned that. Obviously, I know our defense is a lot better now. So, if we’re not making shots, it’s okay. We’re missing shots, but we can’t let them get shots, so we gotta just really concentrate on our defensive effort again.”

USF Is Riding a 6-game Winning Streak

The Bulls’ recent form is something to recognize, as they’ve gone on a six-game winning streak since beating Temple University 76-60 on Jan. 28. During that stretch, USF has won each game by double digits, its closest difference coming in a 64-54 win over the SMU Mustangs on Feb. 14.

USF also beat the ECU Pirates by 41 points, winning 88-47 on Feb. 7. Laksa scored a game-high 25 points on an efficient 10-for-17 shooting, including 5-for-11 from 3-point range. Jespersen put up 12 points on a 4-for-7 outing.

“Obviously they’re clicking very well, and they’re having that opportunity to play some of their young players, too, because of the scores of some of the games they’re playing,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “So, you know, they’re kinda getting ready for tournament time. You can tell by watching ’em [on] film, which they should. Obviously, they’re a great team.”

Using UConn as a common denominator between UCF and USF, it’s apparent the Knights are a different team compared to when they first met the Bulls. The Knights started AAC play with three-consecutive wins before falling to UConn 80-44 on Jan. 9.

Then came the road loss to USF.

Six games later, the Knights hosted UConn and still lost, but their defense had, perhaps, its best performance of the season. The Huskies were held to a season-low 55 points at CFE Arena in a 55-37, UCF loss. UConn’s previous season-low was 75 points in a closely contested, 75-71 win over the Texas Longhorns in Texas on Jan. 15.

As for the Bulls, their lone matchup against UConn, so far, was a 100-49 defeat. Laksa was held to zero points on 0-for-11 shooting, including 0-for-8 from 3-point range.

Jespersen scored a team-high 9 points on 3-for-13 shooting.

“I think whenever you can hold the No. 1 team in the country to 55 points, their lowest outing of the year, I think that’s always a confidence booster,” Gregory said. “But, like I said, we can’t focus on what USF did against UConn. We have to worry about ourselves and what we’re [trying] to do.”

For more on the Knights, as they take on the second-place Bulls, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.