Dec. 31, 1996

The Week in Review/Preview

Sport               Record  Conf. Record    Nat'l Rank       Last Week
Men's Basketball    5-3         0-0          ---             lost to UNLV, 80-75
Women's Basketball  6-3         0-0          ---             def. New Orleans, 97-73
                                                             lost to Western Kentucky, 85-82 (2OT)
Men's Golf                      ---          5th (Golfweek)  none
Women's Golf        ---         ---          29th (Rolex)    none
Men's Swim/Dive     2-0         2-0          6th (Speedo)    none
Women's Swim/Dive   3-0         2-0          4th (Speedo)    none
Season                 Complete Rec    Conf. Finish    Nat'l Finish    Notes
Women's Cross Country    ---                  6th         ---          Emebet Shiferaw an All-American
Football                  6-6           3-5 (t5th)        ---          def. Notre Dame, 27-20 (OT)
Women's Soccer           15-5           4-3 (t4th)        ---          Isabelle Harvey Pac-10 scoring champ
Women's Volleyball       21-9          12-6 (t3rd)       13th (AVCA)   Reached Round of 16 in NCAAs
Men's Water Polo         23-3           7-1 (1st)        2nd           Williams, Vavic MPSF Coaches of Year
This Week
Thursday:   Men's Basketball, vs. Washington, Sports Arena, 7 p.m.
            Women's Basketball, at Washington, 7 p.m.
Saturday:   Men's Basketball, vs. Washington State, Sports Arena, 5 p.m. -- FOX Sports West
            Women's Basketball, at Washington State, 7 p.m.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Men's Basketball

After falling behind by 12 with 6:26 to play, USC put on a furious rally but fell just short, losing at UNLV, 80-75, on Saturday. Sophomore guard Elias Ayuso hit a 3-pointer as USC went from a 68-56 deficit to 72-71 with 3:07 left. However, the Trojans weren't able to surpass the Runnin' Rebels.

Ayuso and senior forward Rodrick Rhodes each had a team-high 15 points and junior forward Gary Williams and senior forward Jaha Wilson each had 11.

Women's Basketball

USC finished 1-1 at the Pac-10/Sun Belt Challenge over the weekend at the Sports Arena, beating New Orleans, 97-73, on Saturday and then falling to No. 9 Western Kentucky, 85-82, in double overtime on Sunday. Co-host UCLA defeated both Sun Belt squads.

The Women of Troy made comebacks to send the Western Kentucky game into both overtimes, and even had 2 chances to beat the Lady Toppers. At the end of the second half, sophomore guard Kristin Clark made 1 free throw and sophomore forward Jodi Parriott made a layup to tie the game, 64-64, with a little more than a minute to play. A Clark jumper was just off at the end of regular time. Then, with USC trailing by 2 at the end of the first overtime, Parriott made a layup and was fouled with 3.8 seconds left. Her basket tied the game, 76-76, but she missed the free throw.

In the second overtime, Western Kentucky broke an 80-80 tie with 2 baskets to go up 84-80 with 56 seconds left, and the Women of Troy would get no closer than 2 points.

Altogether, though, it was a strong effort by the Women of Troy, who were led by senior center Michelle Campbell's career-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. Parriott also hit a career high with 22 points and senior forward Tina Thompson had 21 points and 9 boards before fouling out at the end of the first overtime.

Against New Orleans, Thompson (the Challenge MVP) scored 30 points, Clark had 19, Campbell had 16 and sophomore forward Adrain Williams had 11 in an easy win.

Athlete of the Week

Michelle Campbell, Women's Basketball - Campbell, a senior center, scored a career-high 25 points against Western Kentucky on Sunday. Over the 2 games, she scored 41 points and had 19 rebounds, 11 blocked shots, 5 assists and 3 steals. She was named to the All-Tournament team.