University Southern California Trojans
USC
UC Santa Barbara
USC Falls In Overtime At UC Santa Barbara
November 11, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2007
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. - The USC women's basketball team never trailed until overtime hit in the Trojans' season opener against UC Santa Barbara, as USC fell 69-63 to the Gauchos in Santa Barbara on Sunday afternoon. In her first game back since October 2006, USC junior Brynn Cameron led the Women of Troy in scoring with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Sophomore Morghan Medlock was next with a career-high 17 points for the Trojans. Aarika Hughes also added double figures for a career-high outing with 11 points. USC now begins the 2007-08 season with an 0-1 record. The Trojans set up for exhibition play next, as USC hosts the U.S. National Team for a 7 p.m. game at the Galen Center on Tuesday (Nov. 13). USC's official game puts the Trojans up against Colorado next weekend for a 1 p.m. match at the Galen Center.
UC Santa Barbara was led in scoring by a game-high 19 points from Sha'Rae Gibbons and 16 points from Kat Suderman. The Gauchos beat out the Trojans on the boards 49-43, and forced USC into 28 turnovers.
USC's first-half effort was strong, as the Trojans opened with an 8-0 run thanks to a three from Cameron to start things off. Cameron poured in 13 points in the half to help USC stay largely in control. She blocked a Gaucho shot and wound up hitting a three at the other end to put USC up by 10, then made it 18-6 when Hailey Dunham hit Cameron on a low cut with 6:20 left in the first half. UC Santa Barbara started hitting shots late, however, finishing the half on a 12-6 run to make it 26-20 USC going into the locker rooms.
USC had led by as much as 13 points with 4:45 remaining in the game before the Gauchos' Sha'Rae Gibbons nailed a three and then converted a three-point play to cut well into the Trojans' lead. UC Santa Barbara upped its pressure on the Women of Troy and got key scores in the paint from Kat Suderman to draw it to a two-point game with 11 seconds on the clock. The Gaucho defense forced a USC turnover on the inbounds, and with 10.2 seconds left UCSB was back on the attack. Just before the buzzer, Jessica Wilson forced up a shot from inside the 3-point line. It went in, and the scoreboard put the basket up as a 3-pointer. As UCSB players and fans celebrated a win, and the court cleared, officials returned and indicated that the game was, in fact, tied at 53-53 to force overtime.
The Gauchos' stayed hot for the start of overtime. While USC's Nadia Parker was tagged with her fifth foul early in overtime, Gibbons went on to knock down her fourth of four 3-point tries in the game. UCSB built a 62-53 lead before the Trojans were able to answer. Aarika Hughes drilled her third 3-pointer of the day with 2:05 to go, then pulled down a big defensive board to set the Trojans on the attack. Hailey Dunham dished a pass out to Allison Jaskowiak, and Jaskowiak nailed the three to cut it to a three-point game at 62-59 with 1:20 on the clock. The Gauchos worked down the clock and scored just before the buzzer from the post, leaving under a minute to go and UCSB in a 64-59 advantage. Free throws lifted UCSB farther ahead, and then with 24 seconds left, Dunham took the ball to the hole for a score, was fouled, and just missed the free throw to make it 66-61. Forced to foul, the Trojans saw the Gauchos move out ahead in the final stretch, leaving USC with a 69-63 loss to open the 2007-08 season.
UC Santa Barbara 69, USC 63 (OT)
USC 26 - 27 -- 10 -- 63
UCSB 20 - 33 -- 16 -- 69
