Tuesday, December 19
Edinburg, TX
2:30 PM
USC
9-1
72
vs
57
Middle Tennessee
6-5
1
2
3
4
F
Middle Tennessee
14
13
18
12
57
USC
17
17
25
13
72
Team Stats
MT
USC-W
FG%
.386
.421
3FG%
.400
.320
FT%
.714
.762
RB
35
35
TO
19
11
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
10
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
USC Women Dig In For 72-57 Win Over Middle Tennessee
December 19, 2017 | Women's Basketball, Features
Trojans get solid outings from Kristen Simon, Aliyah Mazyck and Minyon Moore to win at the UTRGV Holiday Classic.
EDINBURG, TEXAS — The USC women's basketball team shrugged off a second-quarter push by Middle Tennessee and stayed the course to post a 72-57 win in the opener of the UTRGV Holiday Classic today in Edinburg, Texas. USC's versatility was on display today, with senior post Kristen Simon delivering a game-high 25 points while junior Aliyah Mazyck landed four 3-pointers and nabbed six steals and sophomore Minyon Moore added 17 points and six assists to power up the Trojans to victory. USC improves to 9-1 overall with the win. The Blue Raiders go to 6-5. USC will face host UTRGV tomorrow (Dec. 20) at 6 p.m. CT to wrap the holiday event.
The lead traded hands three times in the second quarter before USC maneuvered into a seven-point halftime advantage while shooting 35.7 percent from the floor through the first 20 minutes of action. Middle Tennessee shot 37.9 from the floor in the first half, but USC was effective at getting to the line to help the Trojan cause on 9-on-13 shooting from the line to go with five 3-pointers nailed by halftime.
In the second half, USC upped its output to finish out the game at 42.1 percent from the floor while landing eight 3-pointers. The Trojans fended off a 10-0 rally by the Blue Raiders in the fourth quarter to press on to victory. Middle Tennessee shot 38.6 percent in the game and also hit eight threes. USC continued to work its way to the stripe, too, going 16-of-21 from the line to outpace Middle Tennessee's 5-of-7 from the line. The teams finished up even at 35 rebounds apiece.
USC opened up a 13-0 lead on the Blue Raiders, but Middle Tennessee soon clicked into heat. The gap would close to two points during the first frame, although USC was up 17-14 at the end of the first. Middle Tennessee would connect on a couple early threes to jump into the lead early in the second, putting pressure on the Trojans to regroup. Kristen Simon's versatility would shine through as the senior nailed a three to beat the shot clock and tug the Trojans ahead 25-24 at 6:40. She'd deliver a couple free throws and convert in the paint before Aliyah Mazyck nailed her first 3-pointer of the game to help USC to a 34-27 advantage at halftime.
The Trojans pieced together a strong third quarter as Mazyck heated up from beyond the arc. She'd land three more threes in that 10-minute span as USC worked out to a 59-45 lead entering the fourth. There, the Blue Raiders were able to shut down the Trojans for almost six minutes while manufacturing a 10-0 rally that made it a 10-point game with 4:05 to go. The USC defense stiffened from there and allowed no more Middle Tennessee field goals the rest of the way, as Ja'Tavia Tapley provided the finishing touches with an athletic take to the hoop to wrap a 72-57 USC victory.
The Women of Troy play their final game before the holiday break tomorrow (Dec. 20) with a matchup against host UTRGV at 6 p.m. CT at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
The lead traded hands three times in the second quarter before USC maneuvered into a seven-point halftime advantage while shooting 35.7 percent from the floor through the first 20 minutes of action. Middle Tennessee shot 37.9 from the floor in the first half, but USC was effective at getting to the line to help the Trojan cause on 9-on-13 shooting from the line to go with five 3-pointers nailed by halftime.
In the second half, USC upped its output to finish out the game at 42.1 percent from the floor while landing eight 3-pointers. The Trojans fended off a 10-0 rally by the Blue Raiders in the fourth quarter to press on to victory. Middle Tennessee shot 38.6 percent in the game and also hit eight threes. USC continued to work its way to the stripe, too, going 16-of-21 from the line to outpace Middle Tennessee's 5-of-7 from the line. The teams finished up even at 35 rebounds apiece.
USC opened up a 13-0 lead on the Blue Raiders, but Middle Tennessee soon clicked into heat. The gap would close to two points during the first frame, although USC was up 17-14 at the end of the first. Middle Tennessee would connect on a couple early threes to jump into the lead early in the second, putting pressure on the Trojans to regroup. Kristen Simon's versatility would shine through as the senior nailed a three to beat the shot clock and tug the Trojans ahead 25-24 at 6:40. She'd deliver a couple free throws and convert in the paint before Aliyah Mazyck nailed her first 3-pointer of the game to help USC to a 34-27 advantage at halftime.
The Trojans pieced together a strong third quarter as Mazyck heated up from beyond the arc. She'd land three more threes in that 10-minute span as USC worked out to a 59-45 lead entering the fourth. There, the Blue Raiders were able to shut down the Trojans for almost six minutes while manufacturing a 10-0 rally that made it a 10-point game with 4:05 to go. The USC defense stiffened from there and allowed no more Middle Tennessee field goals the rest of the way, as Ja'Tavia Tapley provided the finishing touches with an athletic take to the hoop to wrap a 72-57 USC victory.
The Women of Troy play their final game before the holiday break tomorrow (Dec. 20) with a matchup against host UTRGV at 6 p.m. CT at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
Women'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
