USC
13-7, 5-4
Arizona State
13-6, 5-4
USC Women Edged By ASU 62-61 At Galen
January 29, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2011
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The USC women's basketball team put up a big fight in the second half, but a slim lead in the late goings of the game was just barely eclipsed by visiting Arizona State. In eking out a 62-61 win over the host Trojans, the Sun Devils handed USC its first loss at the Galen Center this season, snapping an eight-game home win streak held by the Trojans. The loss puts USC at 13-7 overall and 5-4 in Pac-10 play, while ASU goes to 13-6, 5-4.
ASU led almost all of the game. USC's first lead didn't come until 5:34 to go as the Trojans finally generated a scoring run to the tune of a 14-0 surge that shook off an 11-point deficit. The energy expended to get a three-point lead was tested in the final stretch as the Sun Devils kept coming. Points in the paint pushed the Sun Devils ahead late, and ASU was able to hold on to the slim lead for the win.
The Trojans shot 39 percent in the game to trail a 51-percent outing from the Sun Devils. ASU also won out on the boards 31-25, although the Trojans were able to force 21 Sun Devil turnovers in the game. Briana Gilbreath secured a career-high eight steals in the game to go with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Ashley Corral led the Trojans with 14 points on the day, and Christina Marinacci added 10 for USC. ASU had two players finish in doubles digits - Dymond Simon with 13 and Becca Tobin with 12 - to lead a group of 11 Sun Devil scorers in the game. ASU also shot a near-flawless 14-of-15 from the free-throw line, and USC went 14-of-18 from the stripe.
Troubled by poor shooting that held up the Trojans from piecing together any real scoring runs, USC was unable to close the gap on the Sun Devils in the first half. ASU shot 50 percent from the field to outpace USC's cooler 33 percent effort that left the Trojans trailing 33-21 at halftime.
The Trojans finally generated a surge with an 8-0 run that cut a 14-point deficit into a 38-32 ASU lead with 16:10 on the clock. With 6:39 to go, USC cut the lead to two with a 9-0 run, then snagged its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer from Ashley Corral to go up 54-53 at 5:34. The run would stretch to a 14-0 run until ASU's Deja Mann hit a three to tie it 56-56 with 4:00 on the clock. Two scores in the paint from ASU's Becca Tobin took the Sun Devils back ahead, up 60-58 with 2:40 to go.
With steals interrupting possessions on both ends next, USC snagged the ball for the attack with 1:02 on the clock. Jacki Gemelos dumped in an off-balance jumper to tie, with Tobin again striking low for the Sun Devils to get ASU a 62-60 lead with 21 seconds left. Gilbreath was fouled and stepped up to the line with 11 ticks to go, hitting the first but missing the second as ASU got the jump ball with 9 seconds left. Kimberly Brandon went to the line next for ASU, but missed her chance as Kari LaPlante snagged the rebound and USC called timeout with 6.8 seconds remaining. The Trojans took the ball down the court, but a long last try from Corral fell short as Arizona State eked out the 62-61 win.
