Dec. 1, 1997

USC Athletics The Week in Review / Preview

LAST WEEK
Sport                          Record   Conf.     Nat'l Rank                Last Week
Men's Basketball                4-1     0-0         -                       def. UC Santa Barbara, 90-76
                                                                            def. San Diego State, 76-72
Women's Basketball              1-0     0-0         -                       def. Long Beach State, 84-55 
Football                        6-5     4-4 (t5th)  -                       none
Men's Golf                      -       -           12th (Golfweek)         none
Women's Golf                    -       -           20th (Rolex)            none
Men's Swimming and Diving       2-0     2-0         t2nd (Speedo)           none 
Women's Swimming and Diving     2-0     2-0         5th (Speedo)            none 
Women's Volleyball              21-5    13-5 (t2nd) 8th (AVCA)              none 
Men's Water Polo                20-6    5-3 (4th)   4th (AWPCA)             1st at MPSF Championships 
Season Complete         Record  Conf. Finish    National Finish     Notes 
Women's Cross Country   -       6th             30th (Coaches)      Penc 11th at District VIII Meet 
Women's Soccer          16-3-1  7-2 (2nd)       23rd (Soccer Buzz)  Set school record for wins 

This Week

Tuesday: Men's Basketball, vs. UNLV, Sports Arena, 7:30 p.m. (FSW2)

Thursday: Women's Basketball, at UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
Men's and Women's Swimming, at U.S. Open in Indianapolis, Ind., through Saturday

Friday: Women's Volleyball, NCAA Championships, vs. Morgan State, Lyon Center, 7:30 p.m.
Men's Water Polo, at NCAA Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., vs. Queens College, 8:30 p.m. EST
Men's and Women's Diving, at Texas Diving Invitational, through Sunday

Saturday: Women's Volleyball, NCAA Championships, vs. TBA, Lyon Center, 7 p.m.
Women's Basketball, at Kansas Tournament, vs. Grambling State, 1 p.m. CST

Sunday: Men's Water Polo, at NCAA Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., TBA
Women's Basketball, at Kansas Tournament, TBA

Men's Basketball
The Trojans were 2-0 on the week with a 90-76 win against UC Santa Barbara at the Sports Arena on Tuesday, then a 76-72 victory at San Diego State on Saturday.

In the home opener against the Gauchos, senior forward Gary Williams scored a game-high 19 points while senior guard Gary Johnson had 13 points, eight assists and six steals. USC had as much as a 27-point lead in the second half.

Against the Aztecs, junior forward Adam Spanich poured in 27 points, including 7-of-11 on three-pointers. Johnson added 15 points. Spanich hit a three-pointer with 2:40 left to break a 63-63 tie and give the Trojans the lead for good.

Women's Basketball
New head coach Chris Gobrecht opened her tenure with an 84-55 victory over Long Beach State last Tuesday at the Sports Arena. USC had five players score in double figures, led by junior guard Kristin Clark's 15 points. Freshman forward Whitney Houser had 14 points, while junior forward Adrain Williams, sophomore forward Tiffany Washington and sophomore guard Kim Clark scored 12 points apiece.

Women's Volleyball
USC will host three NCAA Tournament matches this weekend, beginning with a match between Kansas State and San Diego at the Lyon Center at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by USC against Morgan State at 7:30 p.m. The two winners will then meet on Saturday at 7 p.m. USC is the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Region and is making its seventh consecutive trip to the NCAAs and 15th overall.

Men's Water Polo
Despite entering the MPSF Championships as the No. 4 seed and being in a must-win situation, the Trojans took first place in the tournament and secured a berth in this weekend's NCAA Championships. USC faces Queens College, then will likely meet Pepperdine in Sunday's championship with a victory.

The Trojans defeated Stanford, 5-4, in Sunday's final at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. Sophomore 2-meter man James Castle scored two goals and sophomore goalie Richard McEvoy had 10 saves as the Trojans held on to a 3-0 first-quarter lead.

USC defeated No. 1 Pepperdine, 10-9, in Saturday's semifinal as senior driver Mateo Juric and junior driver Marko Pintaric each scored three points. In Friday's first-round game, USC defeated UCLA, 8-7, as Pintaric had three points.

Athletes of the Week

Richard McEvoy, Men's Water Polo
McEvoy, a sophomore goalie, made 31 saves in three games at the MPSF Championships to lead the Trojans to the tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Championships.

Adam Spanich, Men's Basketball
Spanich, a junior forward, scored 27 points against San Diego State and has made 17-of-32 three-pointers this season.

Tiffany Washington, Women's Basketball
Washington, a sophomore forward, had a good all-around game in USC's season opener against Long Beach State, getting 12 points, nine rebounds and six steals.