Friday, January 26
Pullman, WA
7:00 PM
USC
at
Washington State
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
USC Women Have More Road Work Ahead With Trip To WSU & Washington
January 23, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Features
Women of Troy visit the Cougars on Friday and the Huskies on Sunday looking for another Pac-12 road sweep.
USC (13-6, 3-5) at Washington State (9-11, 2-6)
Beasley Coliseum | Pullman, Wash.
Friday, Jan. 26 | 7 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads 47-18
Last Meeting: W, 80-64 (Feb. 17, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: USC won 1
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
USC (13-6, 3-5) at Washington (7-12, 1-7)
Alaska Airlines Arena | Seattle, Wash.
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 2 p.m. PT
Series Record: Washington leads 36-29
Last Meeting: L, 87-74 (Feb. 19, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Washington won 7
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
Â
THIS WEEKÂ Beasley Coliseum | Pullman, Wash.
Friday, Jan. 26 | 7 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads 47-18
Last Meeting: W, 80-64 (Feb. 17, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: USC won 1
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
USC (13-6, 3-5) at Washington (7-12, 1-7)
Alaska Airlines Arena | Seattle, Wash.
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 2 p.m. PT
Series Record: Washington leads 36-29
Last Meeting: L, 87-74 (Feb. 19, 2017 • Galen Center)
Current Streak: Washington won 7
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
Â
The USC women take aim at their first road sweep of the Washington schools since 2011-12 with this week's journeys through Pullman and Seattle. The Trojans (13-6, 3-5 Pac-12) take on Washington State (9-11, 2-6) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 26) in Pullman. Then, it's over to Seattle to face Washington (7-12, 1-7) at 2 p.m. That matchup presents a reunion between USC head coach Mark Trakh and Washington head coach Jody Wynn, a USC alum who played for Trakh in high school and was his assistant coach at USC from 2004-09.
IN THE NATIONÂ Â Â
USC is unranked in this week's AP poll and USA Today Coaches poll (as of Jan. 23). WSU and Washington are both unranked in this week's polls.Â
SCOUTING WSU
The Cougars are 9-11 overall and 2-6 in Pac-12 play after beating Washington 78-75 and then losing at Washington 56-49 last week. Borislava Hristova leads WSU in scoring with 18.6 points per game, and Louise Brown leads on the boards with 6.5 rebounds per game. USC is 47-18 all-time against WSU after a split last season in which the Trojans fell 74-57 in Pullman and then won 80-64 at Galen Center.
SCOUTING UWÂ Â Â
The Huskies enter the week 7-12 overall and 1-7 in Pac-12 play after losing at WSU 78-75 and then beating WSU 56-49 last week. Amber Melgoza is UW's top scorer with 17.1 points per game, and Hannah Johnson leads on the boards with 5.5 rebounds per game. USC is 29-36 all-time against Washington with losses in the past seven meetings. The Huskies beat the Trojans 77-67 in Seattle and 87-74 at Galen Center last season. USC's last win over UW was an 81-72 victory at Galen Center in the 2012-13 season.
LAST WEEKÂ Â Â
USC took two tough losses last week, falling to Stanford 59-55 and to No. 21 California 62-59 in frustrating fashion as the Trojans were just a breath away from avenging road losses to both teams. USC led Stanford by as much as 14 points in the third quarter before the visiting Cardinal staged a successful comeback to steal away the win. The game was locked up 55-55 in the final minute, but Stanford scored to take the lead and then converted off a Trojan turnover to secure the Pac-12 win. USC forced eight turnovers out of the Cardinal in the first 10 minutes of action, but it was seven Trojan turnovers in the fourth that helped pull things into Stanford's control late. Stanford shot 54 percent from the floor in those last 10 minutes to outpace USC's 30 percent in the final stretch. The Cardinal would finish out the game shooting 41.8 from the floor to USC's 37 percent. USC committed 21 turnovers to 18 by Stanford — just the second time this season that the Trojans have had more turnovers than their opponent. USC did lead on the boards 34-32 and went 15-of-21 from the free-throw line compared to 8-of-16 by Stanford. The Trojans received a game-high 20 points from Aliyah Mazyck. Kristen Simon also hit double digits with 17 points — 12 of which accounted for all of USC's scoring in the second quarter — to go with a team-high eight rebounds. She also nabbed a career-high four steals, while Sadie Edwards contributed a career-high four blocks. The Cardinal had nine players score in the win, while USC had five scorers. Two days later, USC went toe-to-toe with No. 21 California, fighting through 16 ties and 14 lead changes and winding up just off the mark in last-ditch attempts to force overtime as the Bears emerged with a 62-59 win. It was a hot-handed first half as the Trojans hit at a 57 percent clip from the floor and went 8-of-10 from the stripe to get a step ahead of California, up 37-35 by halftime. Cal had shot 44.8 percent from the floor for those first 20 minutes and owned the boards 16-8 while both teams were even from the beyond the arc with five 3-pointers apiece. In the third quarter, the teams fought through seven ties and five lead changes in a battle that saw the Bears lead 52-50 entering the fourth. USC was up 59-58 with under two minutes to go, but could not get another bucket to drop while Cal moved ahead for the win. USC finished out the game shooting 37.7 percent and wound up 6-of-27 from 3-point range. Cal was 7-of-15 from beyond the arc and wrapped up at 43.4 percent from the floor. The Bears also outrebounded the Trojans 35-26, although USC nabbed seven steals to interrupt Cal. USC received a game-high 21 points from Kristen Simon along with 19 points from Minyon Moore and 13 from Aliyah Mazyck, who tallied her 100th career 3-pointer during the game. Jordan Adams led USC on the boards with a season-high 10 rebounds, and Sadie Edwards delivered five assists for the Trojans.Â
BEATING THE BEAVERSÂ Â Â
USC forced 16 second-half turnovers out of visiting No. 16 Oregon State to key a fierce comeback upset win at Galen Center on Jan. 7. Pesky USC defense helped turn the tide on what was once a 17-point deficit to net the Trojans' first win over a ranked team this season. OSU shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, dropping seven 3-pointers to turn what had been a tight one-point game into a 15-point Beaver advantage during the second quarter before USC took a small bite out of it to make it a 40-28 score at the break. The Trojans shot 45.8 percent in the first half, but OSU was hitting at a 51.6 percent clip from the floor to hold the lead. USC would fall into a 17-point hole during the third, only to stage a 12-0 rally at the end of the frame to carve the deficit down to four. A series of USC takeaways helped the Trojans get ahead, going up 60-59 with 1:34 to go, then making a push to victory on a score from Simon and two calm free throws from Moore to hold on for the 65-61 win. Oregon State would land just one 3-pointer in the second half, finishing the game at 47.1 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from 3-point range (8-of-19). USC finished up shooting 46.9 from the floor after outscoring the Beavers 38-21 in the second half. The Trojan defense forced 27 OSU turnovers, making nine of its 13 steals during the second half to interrupt OSU's offense. By the final buzzer, USC had received a game-high 21 points from Simon along with 17 from Edwards and 14 from Mazyck, who nabbed four of those steals in the second half. Moore went 7-of-8 from the line to finish with nine points to go along with five assists.Â
INJURY REPORTÂ Â Â Â
Freshman Shalexxus Aaron is currently sidelined as she rehabs back from offseason knee surgery. Asiah Jones has also missed USC's first 19 games with injury.
MOORE MATCHES MILLERÂ Â Â
In USC's 80-70 win at LMU on Dec. 1, Trojan sophomore Minyon Moore had a game-high 34 points on an incredible 21-of-23 shooting night from the free-throw line to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Moore's 34 points were the most scored by any USC player since Ariya Crook did so in 2014. In addition, her 21 free throws made matched the single-game program record set by Trojan great Cheryl Miller in 1985. Moore's 23 free throws attempted was also the second most in a single game all-time at USC.Â
HITTING HIGH MARKS IN HAWAI'IÂ Â Â
During USC's victorious run through the Rainbow Wahine Showdown the week of Thanksgiving, two milestones were hit by Trojans. With her fourth of a final 16 points in the Nov. 25 win over Marist, senior Kristen Simon joined the 1,000-point club at USC, becoming the 26th Trojan to break that barrier. The very next day, USC gathered a 71-60 win over host Hawai'i, notching USC head coach Mark Trakh's 400th career victory as a head coach. With USC's 13-6 record so far this season, career record now stands at 407-272 (.599) in his 23rd season of coaching. Now with 1,244 career points, Simon ranks No. 17 all-time in scoring at USC, having taken over Tammy Story's spot with her 21-point outing vs. Cal on Jan. 21.Â
STAY GOLDÂ Â Â
These two simple words are being used to define a new culture shift and a hopeful rebirth of the storied USC women's basketball program under the direction of newly-minted Trojan head coach Mark Trakh. "We want the golden standard of cultures here at USC and to get our kids to be on the same page — to work hard, work together, play together hard offensively and defensively, be consistent with that effort, and represent the university well on and off the floor." #StayGold
TROJAN GREATNESSÂ Â Â
USC senior Kristen Simon has received national acclaim as one of the nation's top-20 centers named to the watch list for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award. The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Coaches Association released their selections on Nov. 10. The award — named for Trojan great Lisa Leslie, who was a three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year during her time at USC — will honor the nation's top center, to be announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. This 20-player watch list will narrow to 10 in mid-February before five finalists are revealed in March. Simon was named to the 2017 All-Pac-12 Team as a junior, having led the Trojans in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). This season, she's averaging 17.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, ranking her fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring and fifth on the boards this season to date. The versatile Simon has collected 23 double-doubles thus far in her USC career, boasting a 21-rebound performance as a sophomore to net the fourth most single-game records ever by a Trojan. That effort was just two boards away from the career-best posted by Leslie while she was a Trojan.
LOOK WHO'S BACKÂ Â Â
Mark Trakh is no stranger to the demands of being a head coach in one of the premier conferences for women's basketball. During his first tenure at USC (2004-09), he compiled a 90-64 overall record, making back-to-back NCAA appearances before a series of promising seasons that were eventually derailed by injuries to key players. Trakh also was able to compile an 8-3 record against crosstown rival UCLA while winning at least 17 games in each season as head coach. In his 22 years as a head coach — spanning Pepperdine, USC, New Mexico State and now a second stretch at USC — he has led his teams to eight NCAA appearances. For this 2017-18 season, Trakh has brought in associate head coach Jason Glover and assistant coaches Aarika Hughes, who played for Trakh at USC, and Blanche Alverson as his coaching staff.
SUPER SENIORÂ Â Â
Jordan Adams was granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA after a season-ending knee injury last year. Now, the captain is back to bring a veteran presence at the point guard position. Prior to her injury, the former McDonald's All-American was having her best season in a Trojan uniform, averaging 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and shooting over 55 percent from the floor in five games. This season, she's back as a full-time starter, averaging 5.1 ppg and 5.4 rpg along with 2.9 apg.
MORE SENIOR STRENGTHÂ Â Â
Sadie Edwards, who earned Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention after playing in all 30 games and starting the final 22 games last season, returns in the backcourt. The Connecticut product finished second on the team in 3-pointers made last season (24) and averaged 9.2 ppg, often being called upon to hit big shots. After a career-high 30-point game to kick off her senior campaign, Edwards is averaging 13.7 points per game and has nailed 27 threes this season to date.Â
BACK FOR MOOREÂ Â Â
USC guard Minyon Moore was undoubtedly USC's spark plug off the bench last season as a freshman, playing in all 30 games and leading the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) in addition to finishing second in scoring (11.7 ppg). The Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection shot 38 percent from 3-point range last season and also made a living at the free-throw line, shooting nearly twice as many free throws as the next player on the team. This season, she's a full-time starter and USC's fourth leading scorer with 14.1 points per game to go with a team-high 5.1 assists per game. She's also currently No. 2 in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.8 per game.
SPEEDY MAZYCKÂ Â Â
USC returns the services of junior Aliyah Mazyck, a tireless defender with burning quickness who averaged 6.6 ppg and 1.5 steals per game in 19 games last season. With her speed and threat from beyond the arc, a fully healthy Mazyck is causing huge problems for opponents this season. To date, she's USC's second leading scorer with 16.3 points per game and ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.7 per game. She's also landed a team-high 61 threes this season.
HIGH POWER DOWN LOWÂ Â Â
USC also has a quartet of young post players in sophomores Asiah Jones, Ja'Tavia Tapley, Dani Milisic and junior Marguerite Effa. Jones, an athletic 6-3 post played in 29 games as a true freshman and made some noise when she delivered eight blocks in a game against Mississippi State last season — the most by a USC player since Trojan great Lisa Leslie had eight in 1993 and the third most blocks ever recorded by a Trojan in a single game. She led USC in blocks last season with 35. Tapley, a versatile 6-3 forward, showed flashes of her potential last season after appearing in all 30 games and starting the last 15 of the year as a freshman. She set career highs with 15 points against Arizona and eight rebounds against WSU and averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg. Also returning is redshirt sophomore Milisic, who brings both strength and length in the post. The 6-4 Australian looms as USC's tallest player on the roster this season. Milisic made her Trojan debut last year, playing in 20 games and shooting 40 percent from the floor. Rounding out the post players is 6-3 junior Effa, a native of Cameroon who prepped in Los Angeles and who boasts tremendous athletic ability.Â
THE NEW CREWÂ Â Â Â
The Trojans have two newcomers at the guard position, true freshmen Shalexxus Aaron and transfer Mariya Moore. Aaron, a 6-1 guard from Apple Valley, Calif., is the sister of current USC men's basketball player Shaqquan Aaron and was a CIF Southern Section First Team selection and CIF All-State Second Team pick as a senior in 2017. She is working her way back from a offseason knee surgery and has yet to be cleared for competition with the Trojans. Also eagerly awaiting her USC debut is All-American guard Mariya Moore. Mariya, the older sister of current sophomore Minyon, transferred to USC following three successful years at Louisville where she was a three-time selection to the Naismith Trophy Watch List and an All-ACC Second Team performer as a junior for the Cardinal after averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 4.9 apg and helping Louisville to the Sweet Sixteen. A jack of all trades, the 6-0 Moore finished in the top-10 at Louisville in career assists, 3-pointers made, and free throws made, and No. 13 all-time in career points (1,365), while registering five career double-doubles and one triple double. Moore will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have one year of eligibility at Troy.
LAST SEASONÂ Â Â Â
USC finished up the 2016-17 season with a 14-16 overall record in head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's fourth season at Troy. In Pac-12 play, USC finished tied for ninth place at 5-12 and fell in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Junior Kristen Simon picked up a place on the All-Pac-12 Team, while senior Courtney Jaco earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention. Minyon Moore, who was a two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week and USBWA National Freshman of the Week was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Simon was USC's top scorer and rebounder with 14.6 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Moore led the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). Jaco moved up to rank No. 2 all-time at USC in career 3-pointers as she added a team-high 68 threes to her career count.
COMMITTED!   Â
USC head coach Mark Trakh announced the signings of Jillian Archer and Desiree Caldwell to national letters of intent on Nov. 8. A 6-2 forward from Santa Monica, Calif., Jillian Archer ranked as the No. 47 overall player and No. 7 forward in the nation according to ESPN and was No. 54 overall and as the No. 8 forward according to ProspectsNation. Archer averaged 11.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg as a junior at Bishop Alemany HS. A 5-6 point guard, Desiree "Desi" Caldwell hails from San Antonio, Texas. Ranked the No. 13 guard and the No. 74 overall player in the country according to ESPN, and as the No. 14 overall player and No. 5 guard in the land according to ProspectsNation. A member of the USA Basketball U16 National Team, she is playing her senior year of basketball at Byron P. Steele II HS, after playing one varsity season at Claudia Taylor Johnson HS in San Antonio. Her older sister, Recee, started her collegiate basketball career at nearby UCLA before transferring to Texas Tech.
MOUNTAIN SWEEPÂ Â Â
USC completed its first conference road sweep since the 2014-15 season with a powerful 86-51 win at Colorado and a 58-47 victory at Utah last week. Against the Buffs, USC busted out a true team performance in Boulder, shooting over 50 percent from the floor and putting host Colorado well out of reach with a relentless second half. A career-high 29 points form Aliyah Mazyck led the way for the Trojan cause, which also had Kristen Simon secure her 23rd career double-double. USC was hitting at a 43.8-percent clip from the floor in the first half of action and got a boost from six 3-pointers nailed in the first 10 minutes. Aliyah Mazyck had four of those and would stand as the only player in double digits by halftime, as USC led it 36-29. Colorado had shot 29.6 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes and was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. In the second half, USC cranked things up even further to top off a powerful second half that saw the Trojans shoot 73.1 percent from the floor in the last 20 minutes of action. That had USC at 50.8 percent in the game — the second time this season that USC has shot over 50 percent from the floor. Outscored 60-22 in the second half, Colorado finished up the game shooting 29.6 from the floor. USC also won out on the boards 40-34 with Simon securing 11 of those for USC. She'd finish up with her fifth double-double of the year in adding 14 points. Mazyck led the pack with her career-high 29 points, while Minyon Moore added 15 points along with eight assists and seven steals. Jordan Adams contributed 13 points while landing a season-high three 3-pointers. The Trojan defense forced 21 Colorado turnovers and scored 28 points off those picks. Two days later in Salt Lake City, USC won its third straight Pac-12 game with the 58-47 win over host Utah. The Trojan defense was interruptive once again, forcing 21 turnovers out of the Utes to counter a few cold spells on the offensive end. Utah was outshooting USC in the first half of action, but the Trojan defense had stalled out the Utes to the tune of nine first-half steals to force 13 turnovers by Utah. That helped USC hold the advantage, up 30-23 at halftime on 35.5 percent shooting from the floor. Utah was hitting at a 37.5 percent clip, but still USC had done its job to hold off the hosts through those first 20 minutes. Utah closed the gap down to three during the third, only to see USC warm up in the fourth and round out the game shooting 37.3 from the floor. Utah also shot 37.3 in the game, but USC delivered three more 3-pointers and had forced 21 turnovers out of the Utes. USC scored 19 points off those takeaways while six Trojans had at least one steal in amassing a team total of 14. USC received another game-high effort from Mazyck, who dropped four more 3-pointers and finished with 20 points for the Trojans. Back in action for this one was Sadie Edwards, who had 16 points for USC while Simon delivered double digits once again in finishing with 14 points. Moore stood out with five rebounds, assists and steals to keep the Trojans chugging along to the road sweep.  •
Â
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
