USC Women Make Expedition To Great Alaska Shootout
November 21, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2016
USC Women's Basketball Release 
GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT | ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 6:30 p.m. PT
USC (2-1) vs. Missouri State (1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 23 | 3/5:30 p.m. PT
USC (2-1) vs. Alaska-Anchorage (2-0) / Portland (0-2)
THIS WEEK
USC's first road trip of 2016-17 takes the Women of Troy to the Great Alaska Shootout next for competition running Nov. 22-23 in Anchorage. USC (2-1) opens up with a clash against Missouri State (1-2) at 6:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday (Nov. 22) and will face either host Alaska-Anchorage or Portland on Wednesday (Nov. 23). USC's only other trip to Alaska was for the 1985-86 Northern Lights Invitational, back when current head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke was a senior onthe USC women's squad.
IN THE NATION
USC is unranked in the latest national polls.
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
The Bears are 1-2 after beating Kansas 87-64 and falling to Northwestern 75-52 last week. Last season, Missouri State went 24-10 overall and reached the NCAA Tournament First Round. The Bears are led in scoring by Liza Fruendt (14.7 ppg), while Rachel Swartz leads on the boards (5.3 rpg). This will be the first-ever meeting between USC and Missouri State.
SCOUTING ALASKA-ANCHORAGE
The Seawolves enter the Shootout with a 2-0 overall record after beating Cal State LA 84-41 and Academy of Art 86-49 last week. Anchorage went 38-3 last season and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament title match, falling to champion Lubbock Christian 78-73 in the final. The Seawolves are led in scoring by Autumn Wiliams (16.0 ppg) and on the boards by Tara Thompson (6.5 rpg). This will be the first-ever meeting between USC and Alaska-Anchorage.
SCOUTING PORTLAND
The Pilots enter the Shootout with an 0-2 overall record after falling to UC Davis 66-52 and to Nevada 72-59 last week. Portland went 3-27 overall last season. The Pilots are led in scoring by Darian Slaga (13.5 ppg) and on the boards by Julie Spencer (6.5 rpg). USC has faced Portland twice before — winning 77-62 in the 1994 NCAA First Round and 59-47 in USC's 1999-2000 season opener.
LAST GAME
USC took its first loss of the season in its first road trip of the 2016-17 campaign, falling 77-66 to a hot-shooting UNLV squad on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The Rebels' 3-point effort proved the back-breaker for the Trojans in this one, as UNLV nailed 11 threes to keep USC at bay. USC's offense was paced by two seniors in double digits. Courtney Jaco finished up with 16 points, and Jordan Adams added 13 for the Trojans, who wound up shooting 44.6% from the floor and 46% from the free-throw line, hitting 4-of-14 from 3-point range. UNLV had five players hit double figures, led by Katie Powell's 16 points on a perfect 4-of-4 outing from beyond the arc. Nikki Wheatley and Dakota Gonzalez each had 14, and Paris Strawther and Brooke Johnson added 13 apiece. The Rebels also won out on the boards 46-31, led by Jordyn Bell's 11 rebounds. In a streaky first half, both teams took turns chipping away at one another. An early 8-0 run pulled the Trojans to an 8-2 lead, but the Rebels were resolute in ensuring USC never got too far out of their sights. UNLV kept burying 3-pointers to keep pace with USC, while the referee's whistle kept the game from getting into a flow. The Rebels hit 6-of-10 threes in the first half to just a single three by USC. The Trojans were hitting at a 48-percent clip from everywhere else on the floor — except the free-throw line. UNLV went 15-of-24 from the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes, outpacing the Trojans, whose visits were less frequent but who didn't make the most of those limited opportunities in hitting just 6-of-13. The Women of Troy would craft their largest lead of the half with an early bucket in the second quarter to make it a 23-16 USC lead. UNLV had an answer while USC's efforts stagnated as the foul count mounted. UNLV's with 3-pointer of the half locked up the game at 32-32 with 4:20 to go. Courtney Jaco would break through for the go-ahead bucket for USC at 3:35, but no more field goals would drop for either team the rest of the half as only free throws fell in that final stretch. UNLV scored the last six points of the half all from the stripe to build a 39-35 halftime lead. The threes kept coming for the Rebels in the second half, as UNLV managed to snuff every offensive spark the Trojans would find with a big play at the other end. Slowly but surely, USC's deficit grew as the Women of Troy struggled to solve the Rebel attack. Jordan Adams drained a three that looked like a pick-me-up for USC, but UNLV answered with back-to-back threes of its own, and the Trojans wound up in a 65-52 hole entering the fourth quarter. There, UNLV opened up with five quick points to put the Trojans on their heels, down 69-52. Courtney Jaco would work her way into double digits, joining Adams in that category, but it wasn't enough to melt down the Rebels' lead in the remaining time. Jaco hit a buzzer-beater, and that wrapped the game as a 77-66 USC loss to host UNLV. .
SEASON OPENER
USC rolled up a resounding season-opening win with 12 different Women of Troy on the scoresheet in a 76-44 victory over visiting Hawai'i last weekend at the Galen Center. USC shot 50 percent from the floor while steadily scooting farther and farther out of reach of the Rainbow Wahine while Kristen Simon worked her way to her ninth career double-double. USC also introduced five new Women of Troy to the scene tonight. Senior transfer Ivana Jakubcova got her first start as a Trojan and recorded four points, four rebounds and three blocks. Big numbers came from freshman Ja'Tavia Tapley, who hit double digits in her USC debut with 10 points and added five rebounds. Fellow freshmen Minyon Moore (8 points) and Asiah Jones (3 points, 6 rebounds) also tallied their first Trojan points, while Valerie Higgins had a board and a block for USC. On the veteran side, besides Simon's double-double, USC also saw redshirt senior Jordan Adams tally double figures with 11 points, while Courtney Jaco buried three 3-pointers to finish with nine points and a team-high five assists. USC's 50-percent shooting effort outpaced Hawaii's 30 percent in the game, and the Trojans also won out on the boards 44-26 while snagging 12 steals and serving up 14 assists. The Rainbow Wahine's offense was paced by three players, as Briana Harris, Sarah Toeaina and Olivia Crawford scored eight points apiece. Courtney Jaco registered the first points of the season for the Women of Troy in fitting fashion, dropping a 3-pointer on USC's first possession. After USC crafted an 11-0 lead thanks to contributions from veterans Jaco, Jordan Adams and Kristen Simon, USC's youth movement checked in. Minyon Moore became the first USC freshman to score in 2016-17, coolly making both her free throws after nabbing a steal and taking it to the hoop. Up 13-4 after Moore's trip to the stripe, the Trojans would kick out on a 7-0 run, with Adams following Ja'Tavia Tapley's first career points with a bucket and a three to make it 20-7 Trojans. The last word of the quarter came from Jaco, who bookended the frame with another three to get USC a 25-12 lead at the horn. Simon would get to double digits with a visit to the stripe to start the second. Hawai'i would step up from distance in the early goings of the frame, knocking down back-to-back threes to cut USC's lead to 31-18 at the 7-minute mark. Moore would counter that with a runner and then a three-point play thanks to some serious hustle by the freshman. Simon struck next, and USC was enjoying a 20-point advantage, up 38-18 with 4:30 still to play in the half. The Rainbow Wahine didn't fold, though. They fired off the next seven points, burying another three along the way to nudge the margin to 38-25 with 2:55 on the clock. A minute later, Sadie Edwards snapped that rally with a score in the paint, and then Jaco hit Tapley for the fast break finish to tug the Trojans ahead 42-25 entering the final minute of the half. One more bucket from Simon, and the half would close with USC holding a 44-25 lead. Adams would join Simon's double-digit day just before Jaco drilled her third 3-pointer to bump USC ahead 55-27 at the halfway point of the third. An all-freshman surge came later for USC, as Asiah Jones scored her first point as a Trojan, then added to it after Tapley assisted on her score in the paint. Tapley had slipped in a bucket of her own before that, and USC gripped a 60-29 advantage. To open the fourth, Marguerite Effa became the 10th Trojan to score in the game in converting a three-point play to get USC to a 63-32 lead. Tapley would get to double digits and Simon would tally her ninth career double-double as the fourth frame progressed, while Candela Abejón landed a 3-pointer for the Trojan cause to become USC's 11th scorer on the night. Before the close, senior Alexis Lloyd clocked in as USC's 12 scorer to round out a 76-44 season-opening win.
A WELCOME HOMECOMING
USC kicked off homecoming weekend with a true reunion, welcoming home Trojan great Cheryl Miller for USC's exhibition clash against Cal State LA on Nov. 4. Miller is in her first year at the helm of CSULA, and her trip to Troy marked a rare opportunity for two former NCAA championship teammates and fellow Hall of Famers to face off. Miller and USC head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke were reunited on the court of their shared alma mater, with a pregame ceremony held to honor Miller's visit to Troy, with many former Women of Troy in attendance for the game.
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
The first thing opponents will notice about the 2016-17 Trojans is their size. USC opens the year with five players standing 6-foot-3 or taller — a first for any USC roster in program history. In the past two decades, no USC roster has had more than three players with that kind of height. Such a notable influx will significantly up the Trojans' post presence, and bring some key balance to their gameplan to pair with its returning backcourt savvy. Led by 6-foot-6 senior transfer Ivana Jakubcova, USC's lofty post presence includes 6-4 Dani Milisic and a trio of Trojans standing at 6-3 in Marguerite Effa, Asiah Jones and Ja'Tavia Tapley.
WHO'S BACK?
There's plenty of experience coming back to aid the Trojan cause this season. Redshirt senior Jordan Adams pairs with fellow seniors Courtney Jaco andAlexis Lloyd while juniors Sadie Edwards and Kristen Simon will continue the upward trajectory they set off on as sophomores. True sophomores Aliyah Mazyck, Candela Abejón and Marguerite Effa now have a year of competition under their belts to help anchor a powerful blend of talent on the Trojan roster for 2016-17. Three years ago, the Trojans won the Pac-12 Tournament Championship for the first time in program history and got back to the NCAA Tournament after several years of near misses. Three members of that 2014 squad remain and those veterans — Adams, Jaco and Lloyd — look to help lead their 2016-17 team to another postseason appearance as they wrap their Trojan careers this season.
WHO'S NEW?
Redshirt freshman forward Dani Milisic will check in for her first action as a Trojan this season alongside true freshmen Minyon Moore, Valerie Higgins, Asiah Jones and Ja'Tavia Tapley, while USC welcomes the savvy and skill of grad student transfer Ivana Jakubcova. USC's supersized post presence is comprised of 6-foot-6 Jakubcova, 6-4 Milisic and a trio of 6-3 youngsters in Effa, Jones and Tapley.
ROMAN HOLIDAY
The team got an early dose of experience together this summer with a trip to Italy, where the Trojans combined incredible cultural experiences in Pisa, Venice, Florence, Treviso and Rome with valuable game action against several international squads. It was an invaluable chance to grow as a team. From bike rides along the Sile River, to climbing the Tower of Pisa, to photo ops in the Coliseum in Rome (VERY different from the Los Angeles Coliseum, we learned!), the Women of Troy made many powerful new memories. Plus, they got to hit the court for three games against pro and semi-pro teams from Italy, Germany and Lithuania, offering up a fantastic opportunity for new teammates to get comfortable with on-court competition as a team.
LAST SEASON
USC finished up the 2015-16 season with a 19-13 overall record in head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's third season at Troy. USC's 13th win of the year also notched Cooper-Dyke's 200th career win as a head coach. The Trojans had opened up the year with a 12-0 record, doubling up on its most recent best season start of 6-0, last hit in 1993-94 with Cheryl Miller as head coach. The 12-0 start was the best opening for the Women of Troy since an 18-0 start in the 1981-82 season. After opening up 12-0, however, USC had two key Trojans sidelined with eligibility issues, which interrupted USC's flow the rest of the way. USC would go 6-12 in Pac-12 play and reach the Pac-12 Tournament quartefinals. At the close of the season, senior Temi Fagbenle would earn WBCA All-Region honors to go along with her spot on the All-Pac-12 Team. Courtney Jaco also earned conference accolades with All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention. Fegbenle had led the Trojans in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounds (8.7 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg) while Jaco ruled the backcourt, adding 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game to go along with her 72 three-pointers made. •
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
