USC
Oregon
USC Sweeps Through Oregon With 85-63 Win Over Ducks
February 12, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2011
EUGENE, ORE. - The USC women's basketball team manufactured a 19-point run to break a second-half tie and roll to an 85-63 victory over Oregon on Saturday afternoon at the Ducks' new Matthew Knight Arena. Briana Gilbreath emerged with her second double-double of the weekend, as the Trojans got 10 different scorers on the board and captured a road sweep to improve to 15-8 overall and 7-5 in Pac-10 play. Oregon goes to 12-12, 3-10.
The Ducks were persistent in reining in the Trojans throughout the first 29 minutes of play before USC put the silencer on and rattled off a 19-0 run that spanned the next five and a half minutes of action. Ashley Corral and Jacki Gemelos were already in double figures before the run, but by the end of that burst both Briana Gilbreath and Cassie Harberts were also in the books with double digits. Gemelos finished with a game-high 18 points with Corral adding 16, Harberts delivering 15 points along with a career-high two blocks, and Gilbreath rounding out her double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
USC shot 45 percent in the game from the floor, thanks to a 51-percent effort in the second half. Oregon hit at a 33-percent clip overall. The Ducks nailed 10 threes on the day, but they were outmatched on the boards as USC outrebounded Oregon 53-34. Oregon got double figures from Ariel Thomas with 16 points and 15 apiece from Deanna Weaver and Amanda Johnson.
The Ducks closed to within three with 6:30 to go in the first half, only to see the Trojans respond and move ahead to their largest lead of the half with a 35-26 advantage on a low strike from Cassie Harberts. Oregon rattled off seven straight points, however, to cut in again and make it 36-33 with 2 minutes remaining. Jacki Gemelos stopped the run with a jumper, but the half wound down at the free-throw line as USC gripped a 38-35 lead entering the locker room.
USC had en early spurt of scoring, but that was quickly eclipsed by an 11-0 Duck run into the lead. The Trojans fired back with a 7-0 surge to sneak back ahead, but the Ducks kept things close. After Oregon locked it up 53-53, however, the Women of Troy manufactured that overpowering 19-0 run. USC outrebounded Oregon 13-4, grabbed three steals and served up a pair of blocks during that 19-0 stretch. Oregon stopped it with a score from Ariel Thomas at 4:30, but the hefty lead that the Trojans had built up would prove insurmountable.
USC now returns home to the Galen Center to put up a fight against Stanford and California next weekend. The Trojans host the Cardinal at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 18) and then take on the Bears at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 20).
