Thursday, March 5
Las Vegas, Nev.
6:00 PM
USC
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Colorado
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Photo by: John McGillen
USC Women Hit Vegas For 2020 Pac-12 Tournament
March 04, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Features
Trojans are the No. 7 seed, opening up against No. 10 Colorado on Thursday in Las Vegas.
THIS WEEKÂ
USC captured the No. 7 seed for the 2020 Pac-12 Tournament and will open up where they left off, facing No. 10 seed Colorado for the second time in a week. The Trojans (16-13) and Buffs (16-13) are lined up for a 6 p.m. first-round bout on Thursday (March 5) to fight for a quarterfinal spot. A win would put USC in a rivalry battle against No. 2 seed UCLA in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Friday (March 6) with a semifinal ticket up for grabs there.
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IN THE NATION
USC is unranked in the latest AP and Coaches polls.Â
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THIS TIME LAST YEAR
USC was the No. 9 seed in last year's Pac-12 Tournament, having rounded out the regular season 17-12 overall and 7-11 in Pac-12 play. The Trojans stumbled out of the gates, taking a 76-48 loss to Arizona in the opening round in Las Vegas to finish up 17-13 on the season.
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INJURY REPORT
Shalexxus Aaron (foot) and Madison Campbell (back) have not yet competed for USC this season due to injuries. Stephanie Watts (knee) has missed recent games, and her return is uncertain. Aliyah Jeune has missed the last three games (Feb. 16, Feb. 21 and Feb. 23) with injury (knee) and her return is uncertain.
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LAST ACTION
USC wrapped the regular season with two key wins at Galen Center, avenging earlier losses to Utah and Colorado with strong showings on home turf. Against the Utes, USC got out ahead and held its ground for a 69-66 victory. Freshmen Alissa Pili and Endyia Rogers were USC's one-two punch, combining for 47 points in the win. USC forced 11 first-half turnovers out of the Utes and manufactured a 10-0 run in the first quarter to move out ahead. USC was shooting 33.3 percent from the floor to trail Utah's 37.5 percent, by the Trojans got a charge from those Ute turnovers to lead things 30-23 by halftime. Ten more Utah turnovers came in the second half, with USC nabbing clutch late takeaways from Alyson Miura and Kayla Overbeck to key the push to victory. By the final buzzer, USC had the win on 40 percent shooting from the floor and a 19-of-25 effort from the free-throw line. Utah wrapped at 45.3 percent overall and went 11-of-17 from the free-throw line. Utah also won out on the boards 36-26, but it was the Utes 21 turnovers that fueled 20 points for the Trojans as USC emerged victorious. Again, USC was led in scoring by freshman Alissa Pili, whose 13th straight double-digit game saw the forward produce 29 points and seven rebounds. Fellow freshman Endyia Rogers added 18 points, while sophomore Desiree Caldwell served up five assists. Utah had three players finish in double digits. Brynna Maxwell led the way with 18 point, with Daneesha Provo adding 11 and Maurane Corbin scoring 10. Against the Buffs, USC scored a 66-55 win over visiting Colorado on Senior Day. The Trojans stormed ahead as the Buffs offense fizzled in the second quarter, and USC would stay the course to victory. Tied up after 10 minutes of action, USC shoved its way into a double-digit lead by halftime. Colorado landed just one bucket from the floor in the second quarter while USC's freshmen stole the show. By halftime, four Trojan freshmen had combined for 27 of USC's 29 points. In crafting that 29-17 halftime lead, USC had shot 42.3 percent from the floor to Colorado's 20 percent effort. The Buffs would pick up the pace in the second half and stay in stride with the Trojans, but USC's first-half performance and steadiness in the second ensured the Trojans would emerge with the win. USC finished up at 45.1 percent from the floor to 30.5 by the Buffs. Colorado won out on the boards 40-30. USC received 20-point games from freshmen Alissa Pili and Endyia Rogers, with Pili also pulling in 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season. Senior Kayla Overbeck joined her freshmen teammates in double figures, scoring 10 on Senior Day to help keep the Trojans out ahead of the Buffs. Colorado got 20 points form Aubrey Knight and 10 each from Peanut Title and Jaylen Sherrod.
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BESTING THE BEAVS
USC successfully defended home turf against another ranked opponent with a 72-66 takedown of No. 11 Oregon State on Feb. 14 at Galen Center. Down by six points in the first half, the Trojans constructed a 9-0 rally in the third quarter that turned the tide for good. The Beavers closed to within two late in the fourth, but USC kept its cool and closed out another big win, thanks in large part to a double-double from freshman Alissa Pili, who produced 26 points and 13 rebounds to anchor the Trojans. Oregon State and USC traded the lead four times in the first half, but it was the Beavers just a step ahead at 35-32 by halftime thanks to a late 3-pointer. OSU had shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes to edge out USC's 43.3 percent although the Trojans benefited from four 3-pointers in that stretch to stay in stride. The Beavers were getting to the line, though, going 9-of-11 from the stripe in the first half compared to 2-of-4 by USC. Oregon State's output cooled in the next stretch, with the Beavers finishing up at 42.9 percent overall. The Trojans, meanwhile, picked things up and wrapped at 44.8 percent overall. The rebounding battle was won by the Beavers, 39-26, but they couldn't solve the power of Pili, who hauled in half of USC's rebounds en route to her double-double outing. Pili finished with a game-high 26 points and 13 rebounds, with Aliyah Jeune also getting to double digits with 12 points for the Trojans.Â
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BEATING THE BRUINS
USC was down by six in double overtime and fought back to upset No. 7 UCLA 70-68 on Jan. 17 at Galen Center, handing the Bruins their first loss of the season to take out the only remaining undefeated team in the nation. Aliyah Jeune was the driving force for the Trojans in this one, hitting six 3-pointers and finishing with 27 points to go along with a 13 rebounds. But it was freshman Alissa Pili who calmly converted a three-point play with 28 seconds left that lifted USC to the winning margin, and USC fended off its crosstown rival in the final stretch to earn the victory. USC trailed by six out of the gates but eked out a slim lead, fighting through seven lead changes in the first 10 minutes. During that time, though, UCLA went cold, landing a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:10 on the clock and then stalling out. Only free throws fell for the Bruins for the rest of the half — two in the first quarter and only two in the second while the Trojans crafted a 30-17 halftime lead with a 12-0 rally to top it off. USC would wrap the first half shooting 39.4 percent from the floor to UCLA's 18.2 percent. USC also had the edge on the boards 25-21 by the break. Madness ensued as the rivals went toe-to-toe through double overtime for the first time in the programs' history. At the close of regulation, UCLA had warmed up to 26.8 percent from the floor while USC was at 37.5. By the final buzzer of the second overtime, a victorious USC had shot 39.1 percent overall to UCLA's 29.9 percent. Both teams hit eight 3-pointers — and made eight free throws — in the game, while USC won out on the boards 57-47. The Trojans saw Aliyah Jeune match her USC best of 27 points while notching her first double-double as a Trojan with her career-high 13 rebounds. Alissa Pili secured her sixth double-double with her 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Desiree Caldwell joined her teammates in double figures with 10 points on the night, while Kayla Overbeck hauled in 10 rebounds for the Trojan cause. In all, USC and UCLA fought through 15 lead changes before the Trojans edged ahead to stay.Â
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THAT'S FOUR
Freshman forward Alissa Pili just keeps turning heads — and defenders — as she powers her way through her first season at Troy. Now with 14 consecutive double-digit games, Pili has also laid claim to four Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selections. She's the first Trojan to pick up more than two such honors thanks to her explosive work in conference play. With 16.2 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, Pili leads all Pac-12 freshmen this season. Her numbers have her eighth overall in the conference in scoring and fourth in rebounding, and she leads the Trojans with 23 double-digit games and 11 double-doubles so far. Pili's first Pac-12 Player of the Week pick came after providing the game-winning basket with 29 seconds left in double overtime to upset undefeated rival UCLA, Pili scored 19 points and had a career-high 17 rebounds in the 70-68 victory over the No. 7 Bruins, which was the Trojans' first over a top-10 opponent since 2017. The victory also snapped a five-game losing skid for USC, while also putting a stop to UCLA's claim as the only undefeated team in the nation. With her 19 points and 17 rebounds, Pili recorded her sixth double-double of the year along with her 11th game scoring in double figures. In the second 5-minute overtime alone, Pili had six points and four rebounds to help anchor USC's comeback from a six-point deficit to victory. Two weeks later, the do-it-all forward ran her double-digit streak out to six games and kept USC's Pac-12 Freshman of the Week win streak alive in capturing her second selection for the weekly honor from the conference. With teammate Endyia Rogers' win the week prior, this is the first time in program history that USC has had multiple Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honorees in a single season. On that stretch of Pac-12 play, Pili scored 18 points in a triple-OT loss at No. 19 ASU and served up 21 in a loss at No. 16 Arizona. She scored the first 10 points for USC against the Wildcats en route to her team-best 15th double-digit outing. For the third honor, Pili supercharged the Trojans to a 72-66 upset win over No. 11 Oregon State. She led USC with 26 points and 13 rebounds for her ninth double-double while also nabbing three steals. Two days later against No. 3 Oregon, Pili punched up 14 points and had three more steals. In the final weekend of the regular season, Pili hauled in her fourth Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award after two more huge efforts. With 29 points against Utah and 20 against Colorado, Pili ran her double-digit streak out to 14 straight games. The Trojans needed a win over Utah in order to sew up the No. 7 seed in the coming Pac-12 Tournament. Thanks to the unstoppable Pili, who tallied 29 points, USC avenged a road loss to the Utes with a 69-66 victory at Galen Center. Against Colorado, with another 20-point outing from Pili, the Trojans found revenge again, beating the Buffs 66-55. Pili also hit a 3-pointer in both games as the versatile freshman worked her way to a grand total of 23 double-digit outings in the regular season.
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ROGERS TO THE RESCUE
Endyia Rogers set new career highs in back-to-back USC victories and earned herself a pick as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Jan. 27, making it back-to-back weeks with a Trojan on that honor roll after Alissa Pili's award on Jan. 20. Rogers upped her previous career-high with a 21-point outing in a win over Washington State before going even bigger with 29 points — the most by a USC player this season — in an overtime victory over Washington. Rogers also added a career-high nine assists versus the Huskies, and poured out 24 points in the last 25 minutes of the game. Two of those points came from the free-throw line with eight seconds remaining in overtime as the freshman secured victory for her team. She had also scored the game-tying bucket to force overtime six minutes earlier. In her weekend's work, Rogers had back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in her collegiate career. Rogers is the fifth Trojan all-time to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
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THE "VETS"Â
Of USC's three seniors on the roster, only post Kayla Overbeck has logged minutes in Cardinal and Gold. Overbeck joined the Trojans as a transfer from Vanderbilt last season. She's flanked on the roster this season by two other transfers — guards Stephanie Watts (from North Carolina) and Aliyah Jeune (from Morehead State) — who have chosen to play out their remaining eligibility as Trojans. Overbeck, Shalexxus Aaron and sophomore guard Desiree Caldwell are USC's three returners from the 2018-19 season that saw the Trojans come up just shy of a postseason push with a 17-13 overall record. Â
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THE NEW CLASS
Nine new faces are on the roster for 2019-20. In addition to grad transfers Aliyah Jeune and Stephanie Watts, USC has seven true freshmen in the mix, with two of those young guns standing out as USC's top scorers to date. Freshman forward Alissa Pili leads USC with 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds points per game so far, while guard Endyia Rogers  is next in line, averaging 12.8 points per game. Pili leads with 23 double-digit games to date and also already has hauled in 11 double-doubles as a Trojan. Rogers is next with 18 double-digit efforts. They have fellow freshman Angel Jackson also making an impact in the paint with 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while the rest of the freshman class makes for a talented back court in guards Madison Campbell, Alyson Miura, India Otto and Kyra White.Â
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PREP STARS
Several Women of Troy had especially decorated high school careers. Two were McDonald's All-Americans — Angel Jackson and Stephanie Watts — with Jackson also earning Jordan Brand honors, and Watts  as an Naismith High School All-American honoree. Three Trojans also were their state Player of the Year — Watts (North Carolina),  Alissa Pili (Alaska — a three-time honoree) and Endyia Rogers (Texas).
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STEPH SCORES A WATCH LIST SPOT
As she set up for her first season as a Trojan, grad transfer Stephanie Watts earned a place on the Preseason Watch List for the prestigious Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. Watts is one of 20 candidates on the Preseason Watch List, as announced Oct. 22 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Watts joins the Women of Troy this season as a grad transfer from North Carolina, where she was the 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year and later led the team in 3-pointers made as a redshirt junior last season. In her three seasons as a Tar Heel, she scored 1,320 points. In her final season, she averaged 15.2 point, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while knocking down 82 threes. Named after the first player, male or female, named to the All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual Ann Meyers Drysdale Award — in its third year — recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
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LAST SEASONÂ
USC finished up the 2018-19 season with a 17-13 overall record after going 7-11 in Pac-12 play and with a loss in the Pac-12 Tournament first round. Seniors Aliyah Mazyck and Mariya Moore and junior Minyon Moore earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention, with Mazyck and Minyon Moore both also landing on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.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
