University Southern California Trojans
Women's Basketball Advances In NIT
March 16, 2000 | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2000
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Erica Mashia and Tiffany Elmore each scored a game-high 18 points as USC overcame a 13-point, first half deficit to defeat host Santa Clara 71-64 in the first round of the 2000 Women's National Invitational Tournament. The Trojans, who won despite shooting just 33.3 percent, converted 30 Bronco turnovers into 31 points. Conversely, Santa Clara scored just seven points off 12 USC turnovers.
USC improves to 16-13 and will travel to Colorado State for Saturday night's second round game. Santa Clara finishes the 1999-2000 season at 21-9, tied with both the 1991-92 and 1993-94 squads for the fifth-most wins in school history.
Jennifer Glysson led Santa Clara with 16 points and eight rebounds. Katie Pursley was 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three-point range en route to 12 points and Tammy Annas connected on all five of her shots to finish with 11 points off the bench.
Santa Clara took its last lead of the game at 40-39 with 17:02 remaining, then committed 15 turnovers the rest of the way as USC rallied for the win. Two free throws from Glysson brought the Broncos within three at 53-50 with just under six minutes to play, but that would be as close as Santa Clara would get. Mashia scored six points and Carmen Krause added four to spark a 15-8 Trojan run that put the visitors ahead by 10 with less then a minute remaining. Successive layups by Becki Ashbaugh down the stretch made it close, but USC held on for the 71-64 triumph.
The first half was one of runs, as Santa Clara used a 18-5 spurt to bolt out to a 23-10 lead after ten minutes. USC then rallied, scoring 20 of the next 26 points to take a one-point lead at 30-29. The Broncos closed out the half by scoring the last five points to take a 34-30 lead into intermission.
