USC
8-0,0-0Pac-12
Merrimack
1-6,0-0NEC
USC Women's Basketball Overpowers Merrimack 88-40 To Improve To 8-0
December 03, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Trojans post largest margin of victory since Nov. 10, 2017
LOS ANGELES- USC sophomore guard Taylor Bigby scored a career-high 21 points, and senior guard Alyson Miura tied her career best with 19 points to lead the USC women's basketball team to a 80-48 victory over Merrimack at the Galen Center today (Dec. 3). The Trojans ended the game tying their program record of most 3-pointers made in a single game (14) and posting the largest margin of victory since the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
The Trojans opened up strong in the first quarter, shooting 64.7 percent from the floor compared to the Warriors' 45.5 percent, which decreased to 30.8 percent in the second quarter. With both Merrimack and USC shooting 50 percent from the free-throw line for the first quarter, the Trojans bumped it to 71.4 percent in the second quarter. Going into halftime, USC led Merrimack 49-23 but heightened the pressure coming into the third quarter and was able to lengthen the gap to 70-34 at the end of the frame. USC finished the game with a season high of 27 forced turnovers, which led to a 29-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Trojans solidified their win by outscoring the Warriors 18-6 in the fourth quarter. USC ran its winning streak to eight games with the biggest margin of victory since defeating Montana State 98-47 on Nov.10, 2017.
Taylor Bigby came into the game averaging 4.7 points per season and worked hard to help her teammates get the win by replacing her previous career high of 11 points with 21. Bigby also went 100 percent from the 3-point line (3-for-3), tying her career high. This was her first career start as a Trojan. In her fourth game back from injury, senior Alyson Miura gave the team a spark with her first steals of the season on back-to-back picks in the third quarter. She finished off the game with a career-high five steals and tied career highs with 19 points and five 3-pointers made .
NEXT:
USC continues its home stand against San Jose State on Tuesday, Dec.6 at 7 p.m.
NOTABLE:
- SR India Otto scored her first 3-pointer of the season.
- GS Destiny Littleton scored in double digits for the eighth consecutive game.
- GS Rokia Doumbia got her first block of the season.
- JR Koi Love made her first 3-pointer of the season.
- SR Alyson Miura tied career high scoring with 19 points and set a new career high with five steals.
- Miura also tied her career high with five 3-pointers made.
- SO Taylor Bigby started for the first time this season and set a new career high with 21 points
- Bigby also made a career-high three 3-pointers,
- USC won by double-digits for the sixth time this season.
- USC posted its biggest margin of victory this season and largest since 2017.
