USC
Washington
Women Of Troy Sweep; Defeat Washington, 77-66
January 09, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2000
Los Angeles -- Posting eight points in the final two minutes, junior forward Tashara Carter led USC (7-5, 2-0) in a 77-66 victory over Washington this afternoon in front of 585 at the Lyon Center. With wins over Washington State and Washington, this marks the first time since 1996-97 that the Trojans have swept the Pac-10 opening series.
The Women of Troy improve to 7-5 overall and are one of three Pac-10 teams to start the conference season with a 2-0 record. The Huskies fall to 4-10 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-10.
Carter recorded a career-best 21 points in the game as she led a clutch performance in the final minutes for USC. She was one of three Trojans to tally double figures in the contest, senior forward Danielle Golay added 17 points, while sophomore guard Tiffany Elmore posted 16. Elmore returned to the starting lineup after having sat-out against Washington State (Jan. 7) due to a ankle sprain.
Washington was led by freshman guard Loree Payne who had four assists and 22 points in the contest. Guard Megan Franza followed closely with 18 points, while junior LeAnn Sheets led the team's defensive effort with 10 boards.
The Women of Troy displayed their best first-half performance of the year, entering halftime with a 17-point advantage (48-31) on a season-best 51.4 shooting effort. The team only surrendered three turnovers in the half, while forcing Washington to commit 10. The Trojans embarked on a 7-0 run to begin the second half, before Washington began to cutaway on the Trojans' 22-point lead (55-33). A layup by forward Melissa Erickson brought the Huskies within three points with 2:15 remaining in the game until Carter's jumper at 1:54 allowed USC to end a three-minute scoring drought and regain control of the game.
"It is always someone different on our team who decides to step-up each game," said head coach Chris Gobrecht. "Today it was Tashara and she made the difference for us."
USC will now prepare for the 'battle of the unbeatens' when it faces UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday (Jan. 16). The Bruins also own a 2-0 record in conference play. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
-- GO SC --
