USC
3-3
UTSA
2-5
USC Women Overpower UTSA 74-56
November 30, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2011
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The USC women's basketball team got back on a winning push with tonight's 74-56 win over visiting UTSA. The home win marked the Trojans' second straight victory, and was kick-started by Saturday's 82-41 win over Gardner-Webb, which was USC's largest margin of victory since the 2002-03 season. For tonight's victory over UTSA, the Trojans received a career-high 12 free throw makes from Cassie Harberts as she led all scorers with 18 points on the night. USC improves to 3-3 overall, and UTSA goes to 2-5.
USC worked its way out of an offensive slump in the first half as the Trojans' shooting percentage dipped to 20 percent before hiking back up to 37 percent by the break. Cassie Harberts was the lone soldier in double figures by halftime with 10 points to go with six rebounds as USC led on the boards 29-14. She would finish up on top of the pack with 18 points and eight rebounds on the night, joined in double figures by teammates Jacki Gemelos (15 points) and Ariya Crook (10 points). USC finished the night shooting 40 percent from the floor, and finally got a pair of 3-pointers to fall in the second half for a 2-of-15 outing from beyond the arc. USC won out on the boards 48-34, but gave up 25 turnovers to UTSA's 22.
UTSA shot 33 percent in the game and received 14 points from Kamra King and 12 from Mannasha Bell as the Roadrunners had two players foul out on the night. UTSA committed 31 fouls in the game, matching the third most by a USC opponent in a single game. USC was whistled for 28 fouls, as the teams shot a combined 72 free throws down the stretch.
USC got a jump on its opponents out of the gates for the first time this season, going up 7-0 to start the game before UTSA hit a bucket after three minutes of play. A minute later, the Roadrunners committed their seventh foul and put the Trojans in the bonus for the remainder of the first half. But after going up 9-2 early, the Trojans cooled off and went 0-for-6 from the floor in the next six minutes. Free throws were the only things to fall for USC during that span before Alexyz Vaioletama broke the slump with a runner to the rim to make it 14-8 USC with 10:40 on the clock. UTSA cut it to a three-point game on two occasions, latest with 7:50 on the clock in the first, before USC managed a 19-6 run the rest of the way to create some room up 36-20 at halftime.
The Trojans couldn't get a 3-pointer to fall for the first 28 of the game, going 0-for-12 from beyond the arc until Ariya Crook broke the drought with a three at 11:40, then finished a runner next to get USC its largest lead, up 52-32 with 11:15 to go. As the Roadrunners' foul count hit 10 in the half, Crook went to the line and helped herself to her first career double-digit game as she collected her 10th point of the night at 10:47 to make it 53-32. USC would get ahead 64-40 at the 7-minute mark, but UTSA's Mannasha Bell managed a 7-0 run of her own to make it 64-47 with 5 minutes remaining. Much of the remaining time was spent on the free-throw line, while USC kept the Roadrunners at bay to finish out a 74-56 final victory over UTSA.
The Trojans now head to visit No. 24 Gonzaga for a 2 p.m. clash on Sunday (Dec. 4) against the Bulldogs in Spokane, Wash.
