USC Women Pay A Visit To Duke
November 13, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 13, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MONDAY MADNESS
USC carries a recent upset win into another clash with a ranked opponent on Monday, as the Women of Troy pay a visit to No. 5 Duke. The Trojans (1-0) go back to Durham for the second straight season to take on the Blue Devils (1-0) in a 7 p.m. game on Monday (Nov. 15) at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
FOLLOW ALONG
USC's game at Duke will have live audio streamed at usctrojans.com with play-by-play by Jason Schwartz. Live online video will also be available at goduke.com.
IN THE NATION
USC is receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today preseason polls. Duke is No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today preseason poll and is No. 6 in the AP poll.
SCOUTING DUKE
The Blue Devils are 1-0 after beating BYU 69-54 in their Saturday opener. Jasmine Thomas is Duke's top returning scorer, having averaged 16.0 ppg last season. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie is in her third season at Duke, which went 30-6 overall with a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. Duke returns six letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team. USC is 0-4 all-time against Duke, with close contests against the Blue Devils in the past two seasons. Last year in Durham, Duke managed a 78-72 win over visiting USC.
INJURY REPORT
USC incoming freshman forward Thaddesia Southall will redshirt this season due to an ACL injury sustained before arriving at USC. Three Women of Troy redshirted last season due to knee injuries -- G Stefanie Gilbreath, F Michelle Jenkins and G Vicky Tagalicod. Gilbreath returned to action for USC's season opener against Gonzaga on Nov. 12, while Jenkins and Tagalicod are expected to return at the start of 2011.
SEASON-OPENING UPSET
USC kicked off the season by serving up a win over a ranked opponent, as the Trojans fought back to beat visiting No. 22 Gonzaga 79-73 on Saturday night at the Galen Center. USC used a 12-0 run early in the second half to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit to get the win behind double-doubles from Briana Gilbreath and Christina Marinacci. The junior Gilbreath finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Marinacci had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Cassie Harberts tallied 16 points in her Trojan debut. Gilbreath (15), Marinacci (13) and Cassie Harberts (12) combined to score 40 of the Trojans' 49-second half points to lead the team to victory in the season opener for both schools. USC trailed 44-40 with 14:11 left to go in the game when they scored 12 unanswered points to take a 52-44 lead with 11:41 left to go in the game. Gonzaga responded with a 17-9 run of its own to forge a tie at 61 with five and one-half minutes left. The lead went back and forth five times before the final tie at 67-all with 3:44 left to go. The game also marked the first-ever game action for redshirt sophomore Stefanie Gilbreath, who has been sidelined for three straight seasons due to knee injuries. Stefanie tallied her first points and first rebound in her five minutes on the floor for her collegiate debut.
ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS
The USC roster is loaded up with six All-American honorees. Five returning players were McDonald's All-Americans on their way into Troy: Ashley Corral, Jacki Gemelos, Briana Gilbreath, Stefanie Gilbreath and Christina Marinacci. Also coming in with All-American accolades is WBCA honoree Cassie Harberts, who starts her career as a Trojan this week.
JACKI'S BACK
After almost four years on the sidelines with knee injuries, Jacki Gemelos -- a high school All-American and the nation's top recruit as a freshman in 2006 -- took to the court for the first game action of her Trojan career on Feb. 4, 2010 at Cal. She already has completed her undergraduate degree, but this week, she's playing in the first USC season opener of her career. Now currently pursuing a master's in gerontology, Gemelos starts her first full season of competition healthy and strong. Gemelos has been granted one more season of eligibility after this 2010-11 season.
LEADING THE PAC
USC has four Pac-10 honorees back on the roster this season. Junior guards Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath were USC's leading scorers last year, and both landed on the 2010 All-Pac-10 Team as sophomores. Gilbreath was the Pac-10's Co-Defensive Player of the Year as well. Senior center Kari LaPlante earned 2010 Pac-10 Defensive Honorable Mention, and forward Christina Marinacci was a Pac-10 All-Freshman Honorable Mention recipient last season.
LAST YEAR
Under first-year collegiate head coach Michael Cooper -- a former NBA star with the Los Angeles Lakers and a WNBA head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks -- USC finished 19-12 overall and carried a six-game winning streak into the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals. With Cooper's guidance, the Women of Troy set several new program records in that 2009-10 season, posting USC's best-ever free-throw percentage (.725) while tallying the fewest turnovers (462) and fewest fouls (484) committed in Trojan history.
SENIOR STRENGTH
At the head of the class for 2010-11 is 6-foot-5 senior center Kari LaPlante -- one of only two true seniors on the USC roster. She and Michelle Franco were USC's lone freshmen in 2007 and will finish their careers having split time between two different coaching staffs at Troy. Under the defensive-minded Cooper's guidance last year as a junior, LaPlante picked up accolades with Pac-10 All-Defensive Honorable Mention.
GREAT PATIENCE
Arguably the most inspiring aspect of the year to come will be seeing two hard-working Trojans take the floor for their first full seasons at USC. After being knocked back by multiple knee injuries, the 2006 top recruit in the nation and McDonald's All-American Jacki Gemelos returned to competition for the final 11 games of last season. Meanwhile, stuck on the sideline for her third straight season due to knee injuries was Stefanie Gilbreath -- another McDonald's All-American out of high school. It's been a heartbreakingly long road back for both Women of Troy, but this season marks a long-awaited milestone for Gemelos and Gilbreath.
FAMILY REUNION
When Stefanie Gilbreath hits the court for the first time, it will also be a long-awaited on-court reunion for USC's sister act. Older by a year, Stefanie now beats out junior sister Briana in remaining eligibility. It's been four years since the pair lasted suited up in the same uniform for gametime -- when Stefanie was a senior in high school and Briana was a junior at Cinco Ranch High in Katy, Texas. They both came out of high school as McDonald's All-Americans, although Stefanie's knee troubles stalled out her Trojan debut while Briana picked up Pac-10 Freshman of the Year recognition and All-Pac-10 Team honors in her first two seasons at USC.
THE NEW CLASS
The other key element of added success for USC in the coming season is Michael Cooper's first class of recruits. Ranked No. 7 in the nation (according to hoopgurlz.com) as a group, the newest Trojans on the roster are a well-rounded group of impact players. USC's 2010 freshman class includes WBCA All-American Cassie Harberts, who comes in as the nation's No. 11 ranked recruit. Speedy guard Len'Nique Brown will bolster the Trojan backcourt with even more firepower. The rest of the freshman class is largely tabbed for duties in the frontcourt as all loom well over 6-feet as USC adds 6-1 Desireé Bradley, 6-4 Thaddesia Southall and 6-4 Lauren White to the mix.
PAC-10 COMES HOME
As in 2009 and 2010, postseason play kicks off on USC's home court. This season's 2011 Pac-10 Tournament will have a somewhat difference format from past seasons in that action will be split between the Galen Center and Staples Center. The first two round of play are all lined up for USC's home court of Galen Center. The semifinals and championship game, however, will move over to Staples Center to run alongside the Pac-10 Men's Tournament. The women's tourney will run March 9-12. Visit www.pac-10.org for more information and for tickets.
