University Southern California Trojans
Friday, January 12
Boulder, CO
5:00 PM
USC
at
Colorado
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
USC Women Pack Up For Pac-12 Tests At Colorado and Utah
January 09, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Features
Women of Troy visit the Buffs on Friday night in Boulder before a journey to Salt Lake City to take on the Utes on Sunday.
USC (11-4, 1-3) at Colorado (11-4, 2-2)
Coors Event Center | Boulder, Colo.
Friday, Jan. 12 | 6 p.m. MT
Series Record: USC leads 9-6
Last Meeting: W, 79-54 (Dec. 30, 2016 • Los Angeles)
Current Streak: USC won 1
TV: Pac-12LA/MT (PbB: Thad Anderson)
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
USC (11-4, 1-3) at Utah (12-3, 3-1)
Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City, Utah
Sunday, Jan. 14 | 12 p.m. MT
Series Record: USC leads 10-6
Last Meeting: L, 58-53 (Jan. 1, 2017 • Los Angeles)
Current Streak: Utah won 1
TV: Pac-12Nat/LA/MT (PbB: Krista Blunk; Analyst: Joan Bonvicini)
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
Coors Event Center | Boulder, Colo.
Friday, Jan. 12 | 6 p.m. MT
Series Record: USC leads 9-6
Last Meeting: W, 79-54 (Dec. 30, 2016 • Los Angeles)
Current Streak: USC won 1
TV: Pac-12LA/MT (PbB: Thad Anderson)
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
USC (11-4, 1-3) at Utah (12-3, 3-1)
Huntsman Center | Salt Lake City, Utah
Sunday, Jan. 14 | 12 p.m. MT
Series Record: USC leads 10-6
Last Meeting: L, 58-53 (Jan. 1, 2017 • Los Angeles)
Current Streak: Utah won 1
TV: Pac-12Nat/LA/MT (PbB: Krista Blunk; Analyst: Joan Bonvicini)
LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS
THIS WEEK
The USC women have two out-of-state Pac-12 trips this month, and the first journey takes the Trojans to the mountain schools this week. USC (11-4, 1-3 Pac-12) lines up against Colorado (11-4, 2-2) in a 6 p.m. MT matchup on Friday (Jan. 12) in Boulder. That game will be televised on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Mountain, with Thad Anderson on the call. Then, it's off to Salt Lake City to tangle with Utah (12-3, 3-1) at 12 p.m. MT on Sunday (Jan. 14) in a game televised on Pac-12 Network, Los Angeles and Mountain with Krista Blunk and Joan Bonvincini on the call.
IN THE NATION
USC is unranked in this week's AP and USA Today Coaches polls (as of Jan. 9) but is receiving votes in the USA Today poll. Colorado and Utah also are unranked in both polls, although Utah is receiving votes in the AP poll.
SCOUTING CU The Buffaloes are 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play after splitting a pair of road contests last weekend. Colorado dropped a 75-89 decision at Washington State before defeating Washington 66-61 in Seattle. Kennedy Leonard leads Colorado in scoring with 14.9 points per game, while Annika Jank leads on the boards with 8.0 rebounds per game. USC is 9-6 all-time against Colorado after splitting the last four meetings. Last season, the Trojans defeated the Buffs 79-54 at Galen Center in the lone meeting between the two schools. USC's last victory in Boulder was an 81-61 decision during the 2014-15 season.
SCOUTING UTAH
The Utes enter the week with a 12-3 record and 4-1 mark in conference play after defeating Washington 74-65 in Seattle and outlasting Washington State 81-79 in Pullman. Daneesha Provo leads Utah with a 14.3 points per game scoring average, while Megan Huff leads in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game. USC is 10-6 all-time against Utah after winning 3 of the last 4 meetings, with the loss coming last season at Galen Center, 53-58. The last time USC defeated Utah in Salt Lake City was during the 2015-16 season by a 70-59 score.
LAST WEEK
USC had a strong showing in picking up a split against ranked opponents at Galen Center falling 70-66 in a tight battle with No. 6 Oregon before staging a 65-61 comeback upset win over No. 16 Oregon State. USC had the Ducks locked up even with 1:50 to go, only to see Oregon land a 3-pointer that helped put the Ducks back in the driver's seat. USC had crafted a seven-point lead at the close of the first quarter, but Oregon heated up and landed four 3-pointers in the second to creep into the lead, up 29-24 by halftime. The Ducks were shooting 34.6 percent from the floor by the break to outpace USC's 26.5 percent first-half effort. The Trojans had held the Pac-12's top scorer Sabrina Ionescu scoreless in the first quarter, but the Oregon sophomore finally connected in the second, scoring seven points to help give the Ducks a boost back into the lead. USC had two players in double digits by halftime, with Aliyah Mazyck holding 12 first-half points and Minyon Moore adding 10 for the Trojan cause in those first 20 minutes of action. Both teams heated up in the second half, with Oregon closing things down shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and hitting nine 3-pointers while going 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. USC finished up at 38.7 percent from the floor, nailing seven threes and going 11-of-13 from the stripe. Oregon outrebounded the Trojans 35-29. Both teams had four players finish in double figures. Aliyah Mazyck tallied a game-high 21 points to pace the Trojans, joined by Kristen Simon (18 points), Minyon Moore (16) and Sadie Edwards (11) in double figures. Moore also issued seven assists and made six steals for the Trojan cause. The Trojan defense forced a whopping 20 turnovers out of Oregon, while USC committed just nine of their own. Two days later, USC forced 16 second-half turnovers out of visiting No. 16 Oregon State to key a fierce comeback upset win. Pesky USC defense helped turn the tide on what was once a 17-point deficit to net the Trojans' first win over a ranked team this season. Oregon State shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, dropping seven 3-pointers to turn what had been a tight one-point game into a 15-point Beaver advantage during the second quarter before USC took a small bite out of it to make it a 40-28 score at the break. The Trojans shot 45.8 percent in the first half, but OSU was hitting at a 51.6 percent clip from the floor to hold the lead. USC would fall into a 17-point hole during the third, only to stage a 12-0 rally at the end of the frame to carve the deficit down to four. A series of USC takeaways helped the Trojans claw back ahead, going up 60-59 with 1:34 to go, then making a push to victory on a bucket from Simon and two calm free throws from Moore to hold on for the 65-61 win. Oregon State would land just one 3-pointer in the second half, finishing the game going 47.1 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent beyond the arc (8-of-19). USC finished up shooting 46.9 from the floor after outscoring the Beavers 38-21 in the second half. The Trojan defense forced 27 turnovers by the Beavers, making nine of its 13 steals during the second half to interrupt OSU's offense. By the final buzzer, USC had received a game-high 21 points from Simon along with 17 from Edwards and 14 from Mazyck, who nabbed four of those steals in the second half. Moore went 7-of-8 from the line to finish with nine points to go along with five assists.
INJURY REPORT
Freshman Shalexxus Aaron is currently sidelined as she rehabs back from offseason knee surgery. Asiah Jones has also missed USC's first 15 games with injury.
MOORE MATCHES MILLER
In USC's 80-70 win at LMU on Dec. 1, Trojan sophomore Minyon Moore had a game-high 34 points on an incredible 21-of-23 shooting night from the free-throw line to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Moore's 34 points were the most scored by any USC player since Ariya Crook did so in 2014. In addition, her 21 free throws made matched the single-game program record set by Trojan great Cheryl Miller in 1985. Moore's 23 free throws attempted was also the second most in a single game all-time at USC.
HITTING HIGH MARKS IN HAWAI'I
During USC's victorious run through the Rainbow Wahine Showdown the week of Thanksgiving, two milestones were hit by Trojans. With her fourth of a final 16 points in the Nov. 25 win over Marist, senior Kristen Simon joined the 1,000-point club at USC, becoming the 26th Trojan to break that barrier. The very next day, USC gathered a 71-60 win over host Hawai'i, notching USC head coach Mark Trakh's 400th career victory as a head coach. With USC's 11-4 record so far this season, career record now stands at 405-270 (.600) in his 23rd season of coaching. Now with 1,178 career points, Simon ranks No. 19 all-time in scoring at USC. That puts her eight points away from taking over the No. 18 all-time sport occupied by Adrain Williams entering this week's action.
STAY GOLD
These two simple words are being used to define a new culture shift and a hopeful rebirth of the storied USC women's basketball program under the direction of newly-minted Trojan head coach Mark Trakh. "We want the golden standard of cultures here at USC and to get our kids to be on the same page — to work hard, work together, play together hard offensively and defensively, be consistent with that effort, and represent the university well on and off the floor." #StayGold
TROJAN GREATNESS
USC senior Kristen Simon has received national acclaim as one of the nation's top-20 centers named to the watch list for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award. The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Coaches Association released their selections on Nov. 10. The award — named for Trojan great Lisa Leslie, who was a three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year during her time at USC — will honor the nation's top center, to be announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. This 20-player watch list will narrow to 10 in mid-February before five finalists are revealed in March. Simon was named to the 2017 All-Pac-12 Team as a junior, having led the Trojans in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). This season, she's averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking her third in the Pac-12 in scoring and fifth on the boards this season to date. The versatile Simon has collected 22 double-doubles thus far in her USC career, boasting a 21-rebound performance as a sophomore to net the fourth most single-game records ever by a Trojan. That effort was just two boards away from the career-best posted by Leslie while she was a Trojan.
LOOK WHO'S BACK
Mark Trakh is no stranger to the demands of being a head coach in one of the premier conferences for women's basketball. During his first tenure at USC (2004-09), he compiled a 90-64 overall record, making back-to-back NCAA appearances before a series of promising seasons that were eventually derailed by injuries to key players. Trakh also was able to compile an 8-3 record against crosstown rival UCLA while winning at least 17 games in each season as head coach. In his 22 years as a head coach — spanning Pepperdine, USC, New Mexico State and now a second stretch at USC — he has led his teams to eight NCAA appearances. For this 2017-18 season, Trakh has brought in associate head coach Jason Glover and assistant coaches Aarika Hughes, who played for Trakh at USC, and Blanche Alverson as his coaching staff.
SUPER SENIOR
Jordan Adams was granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA after a season-ending knee injury last year. Now, the captain is back to bring a veteran presence at the point guard position. Prior to her injury, the former McDonald's All-American was having her best season in a Trojan uniform, averaging 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and shooting over 55 percent from the floor in five games. This season, she's back as a full-time starter, averaging 4.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
MORE SENIOR STRENGTH
Sadie Edwards, who earned Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention after playing in all 30 games and starting the final 22 games last season, returns in the backcourt. The Connecticut product finished second on the team in 3-pointers made last season (24) and averaged 9.2 ppg, often being called upon to hit big shots. After a career-high 30-point game to kick off her senior campaign, Edwards is averaging 14.5 points per game and has nailed 25 threes this season to date.
BACK FOR MOORE
USC guard Minyon Moore was undoubtedly USC's spark plug off the bench last season as a freshman, playing in all 30 games and leading the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.9 spg) in addition to finishing second in scoring (11.7 ppg). The Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection shot 38 percent from 3-point range last season and also made a living at the free-throw line, shooting nearly twice as many free throws as the next player on the team. This season, she's a full-time starter and USC's third leading scorer with 15.0 points per game to go with a team-high 5.3 assists per game. She's also currently third in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.5 per game.
SPEEDY MAZYCK
USC returns the services of junior Aliyah Mazyck, a tireless defender with burning quickness who averaged 6.6 ppg and 1.5 steals per game in 19 games last season. With her speed and threat from beyond the arc, a fully healthy Mazyck is causing huge problems for opponents this season. To date, she's USC's second leading scorer with 15.1 points per game and ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in steals with 2.9 per game. She's also landed a team-high 44 threes this season.
HIGH POWER DOWN LOW
USC also has a quartet of young post players in sophomores Asiah Jones, Ja'Tavia Tapley, Dani Milisic and junior Marguerite Effa. Jones, an athletic 6-3 post played in 29 games as a true freshman and made some noise when she delivered eight blocks in a game against Mississippi State last season — the most by a USC player since Trojan great Lisa Leslie had eight in 1993 and the third most blocks ever recorded by a Trojan in a single game. She led USC in blocks last season with 35. Tapley, a versatile 6-3 forward, showed flashes of her potential last season after appearing in all 30 games and starting the last 15 of the year as a freshman. She set career highs with 15 points against Arizona and eight rebounds against WSU and averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg. Also returning is redshirt sophomore Milisic, who brings both strength and length in the post. The 6-4 Australian looms as USC's tallest player on the roster this season. Milisic made her Trojan debut last year, playing in 20 games and shooting 40 percent from the floor. Rounding out the post players is 6-3 junior Effa, a native of Cameroon who prepped in Los Angeles and who boasts tremendous athletic ability.
THE NEW CREW
The Trojans have two newcomers at the guard position, true freshmen Shalexxus Aaron and transfer Mariya Moore. Aaron, a 6-1 guard from Apple Valley, Calif., is the sister of current USC men's basketball player Shaqquan Aaron and was a CIF Southern Section First Team selection and CIF All-State Second Team pick as a senior in 2017. She is working her way back from a offseason knee surgery and has yet to be cleared for competition with the Trojans. Also eagerly awaiting her USC debut is All-American guard Mariya Moore. Mariya, the older sister of current sophomore Minyon, transferred to USC following three successful years at Louisville where she was a three-time selection to the Naismith Trophy Watch List and an All-ACC Second Team performer as a junior for the Cardinal after averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 4.9 apg and helping Louisville to the Sweet Sixteen. A jack of all trades, the 6-0 Moore finished in the top-10 at Louisville in career assists, 3-pointers made, and free throws made, and No. 13 all-time in career points (1,365), while registering five career double-doubles and one triple double. Moore will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have one year of eligibility at Troy.
LAST SEASON
USC finished up the 2016-17 season with a 14-16 overall record in head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's fourth season at Troy. In Pac-12 play, USC finished tied for ninth place at 5-12 and fell in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Junior Kristen Simon picked up a place on the All-Pac-12 Team, while senior Courtney Jaco earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention. Freshman Minyon Moore, who was a two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week and USBWA National Freshman of the Week during the season, was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Simon was USC's top scorer and rebounder with 14.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Moore led the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.9 spg). Jaco moved up to rank No. 2 all-time at USC in career 3-pointers as she added a team-high 68 threes to her career count in her final season at Troy.
COMMITTED!
USC head coach Mark Trakh announced the signings of Jillian Archer and Desiree Caldwell to national letters of intent on Nov. 8. A 6-2 forward from Santa Monica, Calif., Jillian Archer ranked as the No. 47 overall player and No. 7 forward in the nation according to ESPN and was No. 54 overall and as the No. 8 forward according to ProspectsNation. Archer averaged 11.4 ppg and 10.3 rpg as a junior at Bishop Alemany HS. A 5-6 point guard, Desiree "Desi" Caldwell hails from San Antonio, Texas. Ranked the No. 13 guard and the No. 74 overall player in the country according to ESPN, and as the No. 14 overall player and No. 5 guard in the land according to ProspectsNation. A member of the USA Basketball U16 National Team, she is playing her senior year of basketball at Byron P. Steele II HS, after playing one varsity season at Claudia Taylor Johnson HS in San Antonio. Her older sister, Recee, also started her collegiate basketball career at nearby UCLA before transferring to Texas Tech.•
USC Women's Basketball vs Saint Mary's Postgame Press Conference (12/05/25)
Tuesday, December 02
USC Women's Basketball vs Saint Mary's Highlights | Trojans win 79-33
Tuesday, December 02
USC Women's Basketball vs Pepperdine Postgame Press Conference (11/28/25)
Friday, November 28
USC Women’s Basketball vs Tennessee Tech Highlights | Trojans win 85-44
Tuesday, November 25
