University Southern California Trojans
USC Women Host Crosstown Clash With UCLA
February 14, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2012
It's crunch time for the USC women as they make a final push in Pac-12 play, sparked by a dramatic and important overtime win at Cal last week. The Trojans (13-11, 7-6 Pac-12) ride the momentum of that road victory home to the Galen Center this week , taking on crosstown rival UCLA (12-12, 7-6) in a 12 p.m. game on Sunday (Feb. 19). The matchup will be televised by FSN, and offers up a chance for USC to break out of a three-way tie with the Bruins and ASU at fourth place in the Pac-12 standings.
GET TO GALEN!
USC students receive FREE ADMISSION to all home games! For other Trojan fans, tickets are AVAILABLE ONLINE or by calling 213-740-GOSC. Group discounts ($3 per person) are also available for groups of 10 or more. For families, pick up a Family 4-Pack for $40 to receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks. CLICK HERE for more info on promos and tickets.
CELEBRATE THE GREATS
Long before Briana and Stefanie Gilbreath combined forces at USC, there was another shining sister act starring for the Women of Troy. USC greats Pam and Paula McGee are two pillars in the national championship history of USC women's basketball, and on February 19, 2012, the All-American sisters will have their jerseys retired and hung high in the Galen Center at a halftime ceremony to be held at USC's 12 p.m. rivalry clash with UCLA. The McGees were members of USC's back-to-back NCAA Championship teams in 1983 and 1984 and are both locked in the USC history books in several statistical categories.
FOLLOW ALONG
This weekend's crosstown clash at the Galen Center will be televised live on FSN, with play-by-play from Jim Watson and analysis from Mary Murphy. Live audio will also be broadcast on usctrojans.com with play-by-play from Jason Schwartz. Live stats through GameTracker will be available online through the women's basketball page at usctrojans.com.
IN THE NATION
USC opened the year with a spot in the national rankings for the first time since 2006, ranked at No. 23 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN preseason polls. After the first week, USC moved up to No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 23 in AP, but fell out of the rankings in week two. USC is currently unranked. UCLA also is unranked.
LAST WEEK
USC registered its first split in the Bay Area since 2005 in taking a 69-52 loss at No. 4 Stanford and then beating California in an overtime heart-stopper 76-75. The Trojans put together a solid game against conference leader Stanford, but the No. 4 Cardinal's strength in the paint overmatched a thin Trojan roster. Thanks to a combined 43 points from sisters Chiney and Nnemkadi Ogwumike - much of which came down low - Stanford shot 49 percent in the game. The Cardinal also were awarded plenty of time on the free-throw line, to the tune of a 23-of-33 effort from the stripe. USC shot 29 percent from the floor in the game and was 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. USC was led by 11 points from Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath. Stanford received a double-double from Chiney with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and a game-high 22 points from Nnemkadi. Stanford won out on the boards as well, 37-31, but USC did hold Stanford to just seven offensive rebounds while hauling in 12 of its own. Two nights later, USC won its first game in Berkeley since 2005 in possibly the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The score locked up 10 times in the game and traded hands 11 times. Two of those lead changes were with backs to the wall. After USC took its largest lead of the game with 2:30 to go in regulation, Cal did the unimaginable, with Layshia Clarendon landing a 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to steal a regulation win from the Trojans. In overtime, Cal scored the first seven points, putting USC in its deepest hole since late in the first half. Down 72-65 with 1:50 to go, USC buckled down. Freshman Ariya Crook was up to the task. She would score all 11 of USC's points in overtime, including the last six big points in the final minute. After cutting it to three with 50 ticks to go, USC saw Cal turn the ball over on a violation on the inbounds. Crook made the Bears pay dearly for the mistake, making it a one-point game with 40 second left. Clarendon was then whistled for an offensive foul on Cal's next trip down, giving USC the ball for a winning attack. Crook converted on a clutch layup with just five second left, and Cal would not find a heroic buzzer beater this time around. USC shot 50 percent from the field in the second half of play to help force the issue in recovering from a 34-29 halftime deficit. The Trojans finished up the game at a 43-percent clip to beat out Cal's 41 percent. USC got a game-high 24 points from Briana Gilbreath to go with a career-high 21 points from Crook. Christina Marinacci was at the helm on the boards for USC, finishing with 13 on the night. Cal got a double-double from Gennifer Brandon (22 points, 17 rebounds) along with 12 points from Clarendon, 11 from Lindsay Sherbert and 10 from Brittany Boyd. Boyd fouled out of the game with 18 seconds left in regulation. USC had eight active players for the games, with freshman Alexyz Vaioletama sidelined with a shin injury.
SCOUTING UCLA
The Bruins are 12-12 overall and 7-6 in Pac-12 play after falling 67-58 at Cal and 82-59 at Stanford last week. Rebekah Gardner leads UCLA in scoring with 15.9 points per game, and Markel Walker leads on the boards with 10.5 rebounds per game. Cori Close is in her first season as head coach of the Bruins, who went 28-5 overall last season, finishing 16-2 in Pac-10 play and reaching the NCAA Second Round. USC is 44-37 all-time against UCLA after snapping a four-game skid to the Bruins with the Trojans' 47-43 win at UCLA last month in Pac-12 play. Last season, UCLA won 61-42 in Westwood and 74-67 at the Galen Center.
ROAD WARRIORS
A road-tested USC roster is back for more this season. Last season, the Women of Troy played in 11 different states in amassing a program record of 18 road games. This year, USC opened the year with another busy travel schedule. The Women of Troy visited five different U.S. states during their nonconference stretch, which included face-offs against six NCAA tournament teams, including road tilts against 2011 NCAA finalist Notre Dame and champion Texas A&M. Four of USC's five nonconference losses came on the road against currently AP-ranked teams: No. 16 Nebraska, No. 18 Georgia, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 14 Texas A&M. The only other nonconference road loss this year was at unranked Arkansas State in USC's first-ever trip to the state of Arkansas. USC is now 7-8 in road and neutral-site games to date.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Although USC was one of three Pac-12 teams to enter conference play without a winning record, the Trojans boast the second toughest schedule in the conference and No. 8 toughest nationally (realtimerpi.com). Entering Pac-12 play, USC's strength of schedule was listed as No. 2 in the nation. USC has played four games against top-10 teams to date (0-4 against), with nine games against currently ranked or receiving votes in the national AP poll (4-6 against). USC's current NCAA RPI is 38 (as of Feb. 13), putting the Trojans as the second-highest team from the Pac-12 behind Stanford.
MOVING ON UP
USC seniors Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath both broke the 1,000-point barrier last season and continue to trek up the ladder in USC's history books. On Feb. 2, Gilbreath moved up to No. 10 all-time (currently holds 1,539 career points). Corral moved into the No. 13 slot on Jan. 31 and now holds 1,468 career points to sit one point away from moving to No. 12. Gilbreath moved up to No. 4 all-time in career blocks (now holds 163) on Feb. 11 and recently passed Lisa Leslie to take over No. 7 all-time in steals (currently holds 232). Gilbreath took over Pam McGee's No. 6 spot on the career free-throws made list on Feb. 11 (currently holds 372), and on Dec. 31, she cracked the top-10 all-time in career rebounds, now ranked No. 8 with 761 -after passing Shay Murphy on Jan. 19. Corral already is etched as USC's all-time 3-point leader (283), and has recently leapfrogged Cheryl Miller, Jamie Hagiya and Tammy Story to now stand at No. 4 in career assists (currently holds 447).
FRESHMAN FIRSTS
USC's newcomers all marked up the stat sheet in their Trojan debuts in the season opener on Nov. 11. Freshman Alexyz Vaioletama got the start at forward and finished up with seven points, eight rebounds and five assists in her first action. Freshman Ariya Crook came off the bench to provide two points and an assist along with two steals; and redshirt freshman Thaddesia Southall nabbed a rebound and an assist to go along with two blocks for the post in her first minutes as a Trojan. Her first career points came with a free throw at Georgia on Nov. 20, and she became the first of the newcomers to hit double figures with 12 vs. Gardner-Webb on Nov. 26. Crook would notch her first double-digit day with 10 vs. UTSA on Nov. 30. Vaioletama hit double digits for the first time with 12 points at Texas A&M on Dec. 18, and most recently replicated that count with 12 vs. Oregon on Jan. 19. Crook picked up her first career start on Jan. 28 at Utah and hit double figures for the second time this season with a career-high 17 points. She provided the heroics in USC's Feb. 11 overtime win at Cal, setting a new career best with 21 points.
INJURY REPORT
USC has two players sidelined for the season to rehab from offseason surgeries. Freshman Deanna Calhoun (knee) will redshirt her first year at USC, and Kate Oliver (ankle) will sit out the season after transferring from Marist. Junior Christina Marinacci missed the first game of her USC career on Nov. 11 due to health reasons but returned to action at Nebraska on Nov. 18. Ariya Crook missed the Nov. 26 game vs. Gardner-Webb with an ankle injury. Redshirt freshman Thaddesia Southall sustained a tear to her ACL graft on Nov. 30 and will be out the rest of the season. Redshirt senior Jacki Gemelos suffered her fourth career ACL tear on Dec. 18 when she injured her left knee. Briana Gilbreath missed the first games of her career on Jan. 28 and 31 with a knee injury, but returned to play limited minutes on Feb. 2. Alexyz Vaioletama was sidelined by a shin injury for the Feb. 9 game at Stanford and Feb. 11 game at Cal.
YOUNG GUNS
Compared to the 14 years of combined time at USC among guards Ashley Corral, Jacki Gemelos, Briana Gilbreath and Stefanie Gilbreath, returning starters Cassie Harberts and Christina Marinacci are relative newbies. That is, until one takes a look at the minutes they've logged during their time as Trojans. Junior forward Marinacci played in every game in her first two seasons at Troy, and was fifth on the team in scoring last year with 8.2 points to go along with the second-best mark of 6.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Harberts was the only Trojan to start every single game last season, and was one of four Trojans averaging in double digits last year with her 10.2 points per game that she paired with 6.2 rebounds per game. She secured a spot on the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and was on the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team after posting a 30-point game during the tourney. This season, Harberts is averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Marinacci missed the first game of her career in USC's 2011-12 season opener, but has returned to provide 7.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game to date after setting a new career high with 23 points in USC's Dec. 31 win over Cal. Most importantly, Marinacci has stepped up big after the loss of Jacki Gemelos to injury, as the junior is providing 9.7 ppg and a team-high 7.7 rpg during Pac-12 play.
FRESH FACES
Michael Cooper and his coaching staff have added a premier class of incoming talent, with a group of athletes that rank as the No. 8 class in the nation. Guard Ariya Crook and forward Alexyz Vaioletama are projected to be impact players in their first seasons as Trojans. Their fellow freshmen Deanna Calhoun and Kiki Alofaituli, meanwhile, will sit out the season along with junior transfer Kate Oliver, who comes to Troy from Australia by way of two years at Marist. Calhoun is coming back from a high school-sustained knee injury, and Alofaituli will sit out per NCAA rules.
ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS
The USC roster is loaded up with eight All-American honorees. Five returning players were McDonald's All-Americans on their way into Troy: Ashley Corral, Jacki Gemelos, Briana Gilbreath, Stefanie Gilbreath and Christina Marinacci. Also holding high school All-American accolades is WBCA honoree Cassie Harberts. That core of six returners have two new McDonald's All-Americans also lined up for action in freshmen Ariya Crook and Alexyz Vaioletama.
TOUGH TIMES IN TEXAS
On Dec. 18 in College Station, Texas, USC gave the defending NCAA champion Texas A&M all they could handle, leading by as much as 10 against the Aggies before a late push and a clutch 3-pointer from Sydney Carter netted a 71-70 comeback win for Texas A&M to preserve a now-47-game nonconference home win streak for the Aggies. USC trailed by two when Jacki Gemelos went down with a knee injury with 3:39 to go in the first half. The Trojans wiped away tears of fear and sorrow for what looked to be Gemelos' fourth ACL injury of her career and took the floor after a "For Jacki" cheer. USC would then mount a ferocious push against the Aggies. Less than a minute after Gemelos went down, Ashley Corral nailed her second of what would become five 3-pointers in the game. Freshmen Alexyz Vaioletama and Ariya Crook, along with junior Christina Marinacci and senior Briana Gilbreath, would also drain threes while the Trojans were also tough on the defensive boards to propel during a push to a 67-57 lead with 5:07 to go. Texas A&M would regroup, however, and kept USC from scoring any further field goals the rest of the way. Three free throws fell for the Trojans, but the Aggies managed to drain a winning 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go, and USC was unable to get back ahead in the remaining moments to wind up with the 71-70 loss. Corral led USC with 16 points, with Gilbreath and Vaioletama each adding 12 and Cassie Harberts providing 10.
LAST SEASON
In head coach Michael Cooper's second season at Troy, the Women of Troy experienced a successful postseason that saw USC make a run to the WNIT title match. The 2011 Women of Troy finished the year with a 24-13 overall record after a 10-8 mark in Pac-10 play. The 24 wins was the most by a USC team since 1993-94, and USC's 18 road games in the season the Trojans set another program record. Juniors Ashley Corral and Briana Gilbreath both earned All-Pac-10 Team honors for the second straight season, with Jacki Gemelos picking up her first conference honors with All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention. Newcomer Cassie Harberts was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team and also had a spot on the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team alongside Corral. Corral and Gilbreath would also garner WNIT All-Tournament Team accolades, and Gilbreath became the first Trojan since 1997 to earn an AP All-American selection with an Honorable Mention pick after standing out as USC's leader in scoring, rebounds, blocks and steals in her junior season. Corral and Gilbreath made more Trojan history in both scoring their 1,000th career points last season. Gilbreath hit the mark on Jan. 22, 2011, and Corral followed suit on Feb. 10, 2011. Corral also took over as USC's all-time leader in career 3-pointers on that same day.
