USC
14-3, 2-3Pac-12
Washington State
12-5, 3-3Pac-12
No. 25 USC Women Fall at Washington State 73-61
January 15, 2016 | Women's Basketball
PULLMAN, WASH. -- The No. 25 USC women's basketball team was upended in Pullman, Wash., as a cold second half was the undoing of the Trojans in a 73-61 loss to host Washington State. USC had a strong first-half showing, but the depth of the Cougars helped the hosts pass up the Trojans during the third quarter and stay there. The road loss takes USC to 14-3 overall and to 2-3 in Pac-12 play, while WSU improves to 12-5, 3-3.
It was cold and snowy outside, but the Women of Troy managed to stay warm enough to stay out ahead of their hosts in the first half of action in Pullman. USC shot 50 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play to outpace the Cougars' 42 percent and take a 38-31 lead into the locker room at the break. Things took a turn on the Trojans in the second half, however. Five minutes of ice-cold shooting from the floor by USC helped feed a Cougar run to the lead in the third. By the final buzzer, WSU had nine players on the scoresheet to six Trojans. USC's shooting also had cooled to 30 percent in the last 20 minutes to finish out a 39 percent from the floor, while the Cougars finished at 41 percent. Twenty Trojan turnovers also fueled WSU's comeback effort, though the teams finished up near even on the boards.
USC had four players score in double figures, led by Kristen Simon's 19 points along with 10 apiece from Sadie Edwards, Aliyah Mazyck and Temi Fagbenle. Fagbenle also tore down 15 rebounds for the Trojans to notch her third consecutive double-double. WSU received a game-high 21 points from Borislava Hristova along with 10 each form Maria Kostourkova and Louise Brown, who also had a double-double with 13 boards for the Cougars.
The Cougs forced a 10-10 lockup midway through the first quarter, only to see the Trojans manufacture a 7-0 rally to work ahead 20-12 in the final minute of the first. Kristen Simon, Temi Fagbenle and Sadie Edwards combined forces for the run, with Edwards capping it with her second 3-pointer of the frame. WSU's first three of the game came next, making it a 20-15 USC lead at the close of the first quarter of action. In the second quarter, USC turned a two-point margin into a commanding 36-23 advantage with an 11-0 scoring rally sparked by a Courtney Jaco 3-pointer and capped with back-to-back buckets from Simon. The Cougars would regroup and respond with eight straight point to carve into USC's lead, but Fagbenle delivered her 10th points of the night next to round out the first half with USC ahead 38-31.
USC looked sharp with a quick bucket to start the second half, but WSU dug in its heels soon after. Some sharpshooting from 3-point range and from the free-throw line helped the Cougars move into the lead for the first time, taking a 43-42 advantage with 7:00 on the clock in the third. That lead would build as USC stayed cold, coming up empty for over five minutes of action while WSU worked ahead 51-42. The Trojans would manage a bit of a rally to span the third and fourth quarters, and USC trimmed the deficit down to a single point early in the fourth. Down 54-53 with hopes of making a move, USC would see WSU deliver a 3-pointer that sent the Cougars off on another hot streak. USC got only as close as five points down the stretch, when Simon scored her 19th points of the night to make it 66-61. But WSU would fend off the Trojans the rest of the way and finished out the game on the free-throw line in building a final 73-61 victory over visiting USC.
USC was without two starters tonight, missing the services of Jordan Adams and Brianna Barrett.
The Trojans continue their road run with a journey to Seattle next, facing Washington in a 2 p.m. matchup on Sunday (Jan. 17).
ASSOCIATED PRESS RECAP
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) Borislava Hristova had 13 of her 21 points in the second half and Washington State beat No. 25 USC 73-61 on Friday night.
Maria Kostourkova and Louise Brown added 10 points each for Washington State (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12).
Dawnyelle Awa assisted Hristova's weak-side cut to make it 68-61 with 1:41 left and the Cougars made 5 of 10 free throws while USC (14-3, 2-3) missed its last seven field-goal attempts.
The Cougars outscored USC 23-11 in the third quarter to take a 54-49 lead. The Trojans closed within one with the first four points of the fourth quarter, but Washington State answered with a 7-0 run to lead 61-53.
Kristen Simon had 19 points to lead USC. Sadie Edwards, Aliyah Mazyck and Temi Fagbenle added 10 each.
WASHINGTON STATE 73, USC 61
1/15/17 8:06 p.m. at Pullman, Wash. (Beasley Coliseum)
USC (14-3, 2-3 Pac-12)
Simon, Kristen 9-14 1-2 19; Mazyck, Aliyah 2-5 6-6 10; Edwards, Sadie 3-11 2-2 10; Fagbenle, Temi 4-8 2-2 10; Lloyd, Alexis 2-6 1-2 6; Jaco, Courtney 2-11 0-0 6; Effa, Marguerite 0-0 0-0 0; Taito, Khaedin 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 22-56 12-14 61.
WASHINGTON STATE (12-5, 3-3 Pac-12)
Hristova, Borislava 8-14 4-4 21; Brown, Louise 3-10 2-2 10; Kostourkova, Maria 5-11 0-2 10; Awa, Dawnyelle 3-7 2-2 9; Hailey, Caila 2-6 5-9 9; Cooks, Mariah 2-5 0-0 5; Blanaru, Bianca 2-5 0-0 4; Pavlopoulou, Pinelop 1-2 1-1 3; Edmondson, Taylor 1-3 0-0 2; Swedlund, Alexys 0-2 0-0 0; Kmetovska, Ivana 0-1 0-0 0.
Totals 27-66 14-20 73.
USC........................... 20 18 11 12 - 61
Washington State.............. 15 16 23 19 - 73
3-point goals--USC 5-20 (Edwards, Sadie 2-6; Jaco, Courtney 2-11; Lloyd, Alexis 1-1; Taito, Khaedin 0-1; Mazyck, Aliyah 0-1), Washington State 5-12 (Brown, Louise 2-4; Awa, Dawnyelle 1-2; Cooks, Mariah 1-2; Hristova, Borislava 1-2; Swedlund, Alexys 0-2). Fouled out--USC-None, Washington State-None. Rebounds--USC 38 (Fagbenle, Temi 15), Washington State 39 (Brown, Louise 13). Assists--USC 9 (Mazyck, Aliyah 4), Washington State 14 (Kostourkova, Maria 3; Hristova, Borislava 3; Awa, Dawnyelle 3). Total fouls--USC 18, Washington State 15. Technical fouls--USC-None, Washington State-None. A-772
