University Southern California Trojans
USC
*UCLA
Women's Basketball Falls at UCLA, 68-64
February 29, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 29, 2004
LOS ANGELES - USC missed a three-point attempt for the win with seconds remaining as the UCLA women's basketball team got away with a 68-64 decision on Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. The Women of Troy, who led by as much as eight points, were outscored 26-to-14 in the final 10 minutes of the game.
With the loss, USC finishes the regular season with a 15-12 overall record and 11-7 mark in the Pac-10, tying Arizona State and UCLA for third place. By virtue of the conference tiebreaker, the Women of Troy earn the No. 3 seed for the State Farm Pac-10 Tournament, which begins this Friday, March 5, with the play-in rounds for seeds 7 through 10. USC will face sixth-seeded Washington in the quarterfinal opener on Saturday, March 6, at 11 a.m.
UCLA's decision to go to a full-court press in the second half forced the Trojans to commit 14 turnovers and proved to be the deciding-factor in the close contest. With USC ahead, 53-46, the Bruins embarked on a final 22-11 run in an eight-minute span. UCLA, which had 29 free throw attempts in the game, scored 14 points at the line during the run.
Trailing by only two points with 17-seconds on the clock, a three-point attempt by Ebony Hoffman bounced off the rim and USC was forced to foul in hopes of getting the ball back. Lisa Willis made both free throws to secure the Bruins' four-point victory.
Riddled with bad passes and turnovers, the first half was a defensive struggle. After 10 minutes of play, the two teams were knotted at 8-8 with 9:55 left on the clock. Despite the slow start, the pace picked up in the final minutes. The Women of Troy, sparked by five three-pointers in the half, outscored the Bruins 20-to-18 to take a two-point lead into the break, 28-26.
USC shot 62.5 percent (5-8) from three-point range in the first half.
The outside shots were still falling at the start of the second period and the Women of Troy pushed out to an eight-point lead (46-38), the largest of the game, with 12:38 on the clock.
The Women of Troy were led by Rometra Craig, Hoffman and Meghan Gnekow, who scored 14, 13 and 12 points, respectively. UCLA was led by guard Nikki Blue, who had a game-high 26 points.
