University Southern California Trojans
Women's Basketball Falls to Wildcats
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
January 5, 1999
TUCSON, Ariz. - Four Wildcats reached double digits in scoring, led by sophomore guard Reshea Bristol's game-high 18 points, as the University of Arizona (6-5, 1-1) women's basketball team defeated USC (5-6, 1-1), 73-63, at home on Monday for their first Pac-10 win of the season.
USC controlled much of the first half, using a 10-1 run to gain an 11-point (22-11) lead midway through the period, and took a 36-29 lead into the locker room at the break. Arizona fought back through the early portion of the second half and finally gained its own 11-point lead (53-42) with a 13-1 spurt.
The Women of Troy scrapped back to within one point (57-56) at the 6:29 mark but would come no closer as the Cats used a 10-for-13 performance from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the contest to pull out the win.
Arizona forced 30 USC turnovers and held the Women of Troy to only 38.5 percent shooting in the second half, after they posted a 58 percent first half.
"We definitely caused some problems for them with our press," said head coach Joan Bonvicini, who is in her eighth year at the helm of the Arizona program. "But I have to give USC credit because they dictated the tempo of the game, especially in the first half."
In addition to Bristol's 18 points, junior forward Angela Lackey contributed 16 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds for Arizona. Junior guard Felecity Willis and freshman forward Elizabeth Pickney added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
USC starting point guard Kristin Clark went down with a knee injury early in the game and did not return to the floor. The second-leading scorer for the Women of Troy, Clark is the fourth USC player to go out with a major injury this season.
"We don't know much about [the injury] yet. Kristin is going to have an MRI first thing tomorrow, and then we'll evaluate it from there," said USC head coach Chris Gobrecht. "We started this season with six guards, and now we are down to two."
The win ends a brief two-game losing skid for Arizona and lifts the Cats to 6-5 on the season. Arizona hits the road this weekend for a pair of Pac-10 games, playing at Washington State on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7 p.m. PST and at Washington on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 1 p.m. PST.
