USC
11-7, 3-4
California
13-5, 5-2
USC Women Stumble In Clash With Cal
January 23, 2015 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. -- The USC women's basketball team was right in the thick of it against visiting California through the first 25 minutes of action tonight at Galen Center before the Golden Bears maneuvered into control. After 10 ties and nine lead changes, it was Cal that pulled out ahead and stayed there, pinning up an eventual 67-53 victory over the Women of Troy. USC goes to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in Pac-12 play with the loss, while Cal improves to 13-5, 5-2.
The game tied up eight times and the lead see-sawed back and forth through seven lead changes through the first half of action. USC would enjoy the largest lead, though that was just a six-point margin before Cal nudged into a 27-26 lead at the break. The Bears were shooting 41 percent from the floor in the half to outpace the Trojans' 31 percent, but USC was kept in good standing thanks in part to a 27-17 rebounding advantage. In the second half, Cal utilized a 13-2 in a four-minute span to get out to a double-digit lead with 11:50 on the clock. That rally, along with a frustrating cold snap on the offensive end by USC, would spell doom for the Women of Troy. As the shooting percentage dipped for the Trojans, Cal extended its lead and would wrap the game on a strong second half that saw the Bears shoot 62 percent in the half in ending the game at 51 percent from the floor. USC, meanwhile, finished up at 30 percent overall. The only spot that the Trojans were able to control was the boards, with USC out rebounding Cal 46-35 in the game. USC committed 17 turnovers to 13 by Cal.
The Trojan offense was led by 15 points from Alexyz Vaioletama and 12 from Jordan Adams, while Kristen Simon hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for USC. Cal piled a full starting lineup in double digits, led by Reshanda Gray's 15 points and 12 apiece from Mercedes Jefflo and Brittany Boyd. Mikayla Cowling added 11 for Cal, and Gabby Green scored 10.
The tug-of-war started from right out of the gates, as the game snarled up even six times and the lead changed hands four times before the Trojans were able to craft a 19-15 advantage with 7:56 on the clock. That stood as the largest lead for either team to that point, coming on the heels of a 6-0 USC scoring run. Alexyz Vaioletama would land the sixth equalizer with a smooth jumper to make it 15-15, and Kristen Simon would manage back-to-back buckets to bump USC ahead 19-15. A Cal turnover fed the Trojans further, leading to a runner from Brianna Barrett to make it a 21-15 USC lead at 7:30. Cal fired right back, however, sneaking into a 22-21 lead two minutes later with a 7-0 rally. The Bears' lead lasted just 25 seconds, though, as Jordan Adams nailed the go-ahead jumper to make it 23-22 with 4:50 left in the half. At the 2-minute mark, it was locked up once again. A Cal 3-pointer had things even at 25-25, and the Bears would hold a slim 27-26 advantage at halftime.
McKenzie Calvert landed USC's first 3-pointer of the game to open the second half and put USC ahead 29-27 a minute in. That would prompt Cal to make a rallying run. A Cal 3-pointer lit the fuse at 15:50 as the Bears went out on a 13-2 run to take a 44-34 lead with 11:50 on the clock. USC just could not get a bucket to fall from the floor for a devastatingly long stretch. A few free throws would sneak through for the Trojan cause, but every other shot attempt would rattle around and out while Cal kept clicking to craft a 59-42 lead after USC's bout of scoring silence. Finally, a hustle play from Vaioletama would see McKenzie Calvert slip in a fast break finish to end over six minutes of drought from the floor, putting the score at 59-44 Cal with 3:10 left to play. By then, however, USC just could not close the gap. The Bears kept the Trojans at bay in the final stretch to wrap it as a 67-53 Cal victory by the final buzzer.
The Women of Troy stay home for another Pac-12 clash next. USC will host No. 11 Stanford in a 5 p.m. matchup on Sunday (Jan. 25) at Galen Center.
CALIFORNIA 67, USC 53
1/23/15 7 p.m. at Galen Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
CALIFORNIA (13-5, 5-2)
Gray, Reshanda 5-12 5-9 15; Boyd, Brittany 6-12 0-0 12; Jefflo, Mercedes 5-9 2-2 12; Cowling, Mikayla 5-7 0-0 11; Green, Gabby 4-7 0-0 10; Range, Courtney 2-6 1-2 5; Davidson, Penina 1-1 0-0 2; Hartman, Justine 0-1 0-0 0; Shine, Brittany 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 28-55 8-13 67.
USC (11-7, 3-4)
Vaioletama, Alexyz 4-12 6-9 15; Adams, Jordan 6-10 0-1 12; Barrett, Brianna 3-13 2-6 8; Horn, Kaneisha 2-7 3-5 7; Simon, Kristen 3-9 0-0 6; Calvert, McKenzie 2-12 0-0 5; Okonkwo, Amy 0-0 0-0 0; Lloyd, Alexis 0-0 0-0 0; Edelman, Drew 0-2 0-0 0; Jaco, Courtney 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 20-66 11-21 53.
California.................... 27 40 - 67
USC........................... 26 27 - 53
3-point goals--California 3-8 (Green, Gabby 2-4; Cowling, Mikayla 1-1; Jefflo, Mercedes 0-3), USC 2-9 (Vaioletama, Alexyz 1-2; Calvert, McKenzie 1-6; Jaco, Courtney 0-1).
Fouled out--California-None, USC-None.
Rebounds--California 35 (Gray, Reshanda 9), USC 46 (Simon, Kristen 11).
Assists--California 13 (Boyd, Brittany 5), USC 9 (Barrett, Brianna 3).
Total fouls--California 16, USC 12.
Technical fouls--California-None, USC-None.
Att-423
