Thursday, March 1
Seattle, WA
6:00 PM
USC
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Washington State
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USC Women Take No. 7 Seed To Seattle For 2018 Pac-12 Tournament Play
February 27, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Features
Women of Troy carry a 19-10 overall record into the conference tourney, opening up against No. 10 seed WSU on Thursday.
2018 Pac-12 TournamentÂ
KeyArena | Seattle
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Thurs., March 1 — 6 p.m. — [7] USC vs. [10] Washington State (Pac-12 Networks)
Fri., March 2 — 6 p.m. — vs. [2] Stanford (Pac-12 Networks)
Sat., March 3 — 8:30 p.m. — Semifinals (Pac-12 Networks)
Sun., March 4 — 6 p.m. — Championship (ESPN2)
Play-by-play: Krista Blunk | Analyst: Mary Murphy | Sideline: Jill Savage
THIS WEEKÂ
USC sets up camp in Seattle once again with eyes on making a deep run at the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament at KeyArena. The Trojans (19-10) earned the No. 7 seed into this year's tourney to put them up against No. 10 seed Washington State (10-19) in a 6 p.m. first-round game on Thursday (March 1). A win there would send USC into a 6 p.m. quarterfinal bout against No. 2 seed Stanford (20-9) on Friday (March 2). Semifinals are set for Saturday (March 3) with the championship game to be held Sunday (March 4). Ousted in the first round of the tourney last year, the Trojans are determined to make noise this year as they work to give their resume a boost in order to lock up a spot in the NCAA Tournament. USC's last trip to the tourney came in 2014 after the Trojans became the first team to win four games in four days at the Pac-12 Tournament to claim the program's first title. Â
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IN THE NATION
USC is unranked this week's AP and USA Today Coaches polls (as of Feb. 26). USC is at 45 in the latest RPI (as of Feb. 25).Â
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THIS TIME LAST YEARÂ
USC finished up last season with the No. 9 seed after going 5-13 in Pac-12 play and taking a 14-15 record into the conference tournament. Up against No. 8 seed California in the first round of the tourney, USC fell 71-58 to the Golden Bears to end the 2016-17 season with a 14-16 overall record.Â
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MUST-WIN WEEKEND
In emotionally charged final two home games, USC kept its composure and grabbed two key Pac-12 victories to wrap the regular season with a 19-10 overall record and 9-9 conference finish. In its first Thursday game of the season, USC held a pregame ceremony to honor Pac-12 announcer Tammy Blackburn and her battle with breast cancer. Blackburn played for USC head coach Mark Trakh back in high school, and the two have been close friends ever since. The Trojans had "Blackburn" emblazoned on all of their pink game jerseys, and presented her with a jersey of her own. Once the team hit the court in their special jerseys, a battle ensued with visiting Utah. With 1:41 to go in overtime, Utah gripped a 52-48 advantage. In the final minute, Kristen Simon came up with a key rebound, and Minyon Moore delivered a jumper in the key to get it to 52-50 with 35 seconds to go. The Utes had a look as the shot clock wound down on their possession, but it fell short and USC recovered the ball on the shot clock violation with 3.5 seconds left. That set up Simon's heroics, as she took the inbounds pass from Adams and buried the 3-pointer — her 10th of the season — to tug the Trojans ahead 53-52 with just over a tick to go. In a game that saw 13 lead changes and eight ties, USC managed to overcome a late deficit to notch a crucial Pac-12 victory. By the final overtime buzzer — after Simon landed USC's fourth 3-pointer of the game to lift her team to the win — USC had shot 34.4 percent from the floor to Utah's 36.2 percent. The Utes won out on the boards 42-36, but committed 14 turnovers after seven USC steals. USC was paced by senior Simon's third straight double-double. She had 10 rebounds by halftime and finished up with 16 points and 15 boards to lead the Trojans. Sadie Edwards had 13 points, and Aliyah Mazyck had 10 before fouling out late in regulation. The next game was preceded by a Senior Day celebration to honor the final seasons for captains Jordan Adams, Sadie Edwards and Kristen Simon. It would end well for the Trojans with a 65-43 final decision, but to get to that Pac-12 victory, the Trojans had to fight back from a halftime deficit. The lead changed hands six times in the first half as Colorado grabbed the late advantage to lead it 27-25 at halftime. The Trojans landed five 3-pointers in those first 20 minutes but was colder from the rest of the court as USC went 33.3 percent from the floor in the first half to trail Colorado's 44 percent first-half effort. In the third, USC made a power move, mounting a 14-3 run that pushed the Trojans into the lead for good. By the final buzzer, USC had shot 40.4 percent from the floor while Colorado was left at 38 percent. The Trojans also won out on the boards with authority, hauling in 40 rebounds to 24 by the Buffs. USC's offense was sparked by Aliyah Mazyck, who landed five 3-pointers to tie the USC season record, now with 85 three made so far this season. The junior finished up with a game-high 24 points and was a rebound away from a double-double with nine boards. Senior Simon would lock in with her fourth straight double-double and 30th of her career, finishing her Senior Day with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Moore, who was sidelined with a cut above her eye for much of the first quarter, came back with a vengeance and wrapped the game with 15 points.
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ROAD WARRIORS
Already holding five more wins this season than posted in 2016-17, USC has gone 12-5 in road and neutral games this season, picking up two Pac-12 road sweeps during the month of January. The Trojans first swept the mountain schools, beating Colorado 86-51 and Utah 58-47 that weekend. That was USC's first conference road sweep since the 2014-15 season. Two weeks later, USC notched its second victorious Pac-12 road trip with wins at WSU (73-72) and Washington (72-61). That marked the Trojans' first road sweep of the Washington schools since 2011-12. USC last had two Pac-12 road sweeps in 2012-13 (Oregon/OSU and Arizona/ASU).
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UPSET-MINDED
The Trojans have risen to the occasion when tested by the nation's top teams this season. In 10 tries against ranked opponents, USC claimed two upset wins during the regular season. The Trojans beat then-No. 16 Oregon State 65-61 and then-No. 25 Arizona State 77-62. All but USC's two losses to top-10 UCLA and a road loss at top-20 Cal have been by single digits, with an average margin of 4 points in those five tightly contested near-upsets. That doesn't include matchups against now-No. 16 Stanford, which was unranked when USC played the Cardinal, but to which the Trojans stayed close in both meetings. USC fell by seven points to Stanford in Palo Alto and lost by just four at Galen Center. As of Feb. 25, USC has registered three wins in 13 games over teams who hold an RPI of 57 and better (Oregon State, Arizona State and Purdue).
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INJURY REPORTÂ
Freshman Shalexxus Aaron is currently sidelined as she rehabs back from offseason knee surgery. Asiah Jones has also not played due to injury. Both players have not yet been medically cleared for competition.
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MOORE MATCHES MILLER
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
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HITTING HIGH MARKS IN HAWAI'I
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 19-10 record so far this season, career record now stands at 412-277 (.598) in his 23rd season of coaching. Now with 1,420 career points, Simon ranks No. 16 all-time in scoring at USC, having taken over Tammy Story's spot with her 21-point outing vs. Cal on Jan. 21. Simon enters the Pac-12 Tournament needing just six points to climb into the No. 15 all-time spot.
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STAY GOLD
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
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TROJAN GREATNESS
USC senior Kristen Simon 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 WBCA released their selections on Nov. 10. The award — named for Trojan great Lisa Leslie, who was a three-time All-American 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. The 20-player watch list was narrowed to 10 on Feb. 2, and Simon was not included in that group of 10. 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 9.0 rebounds per game. Entering the Pac-12 Tournament, she ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring and third on the boards this season. The versatile Simon has collected 30 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. Simon currently ranks No. 15 all-time in career scoring (six points from No. 15) and No. 9 all-time in rebounds at USC.
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LOOK WHO'S BACK
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.
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SUPER SENIOR
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 4.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg along with 2.6 apg.
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MORE SENIOR STRENGTH
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 13.4 points per game and has nailed 42 threes this season to date.Â
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BACK FOR MOORE
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 is fourth on the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game to go with a team-high 5.6 assists per game. She also enters the Pac-12 Tournament ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.8 per game. Moore recorded her first career double-double on Feb. 5 vs. UCLA with 11 points and 11 assists, then made it back-to-back big efforts with 11 points and 10 assists the very next game vs. ASU.
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SPEEDY MAZYCK
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 16.4 points per game and enters the Pac-12 Tournament ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.6 per game. She's also tied the program record with 85 threes made this season, needing just one more to set a new single-season record at USC. She'll enter the Pac-12 Tournament holding a grand total of 125 threes made in her career to rank No. 8 all-time in 3-pointers made at USC.
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HIGH POWER DOWN LOW
USC 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 turned heads 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. Also back 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. 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
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THE NEW CREWÂ
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 and was a 2017 CIF Southern Section First Team and CIF All-State Second Team pick. She is working her way back from offseason knee surgery and has yet to be cleared for competition at USC. 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 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 after averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 4.9 apg in helping Louisville to the Sweet Sixteen. The 6-0 Moore finished in the top-10 at Louisville in career assists, 3-pointers made and free throws made, and was No. 13 all-time in career points (1,365). Moore is out for the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have one year of eligibility at Troy.
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LAST SEASONÂ
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.
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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.
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
