Feb. 14, 1997

Thompson Leads USC Past Arizona State

LOS ANGELES - Led by senior forward Tina Thompson's 22 points and eight rebounds and senior center Michelle Campbell's 10 points and 11 rebounds, the USC women's basketball team defeated Arizona State 77-63 at the Lyon Center.

USC, in second place in the Pac-10, improved to 16-5 overall, 10-2 in the Pac-10. Arizona State fell to 7-14, 1-10.

The Sun Devils, who were held to just 31.9 percent shooting from the floor, were led by forward Milly Tuter's 18 points.

The Women of Troy, who have now won 10 of their last 12 games, took a 36-34 lead into halftime and opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a 45-36 lead.

Arizona State got as close as five pionts at 51-46 with 12:15 to play, but an 11-2 run gave USC a 62-48 edge with 8:30 to go.

The Women of Troy, who also got 10 points from senior guard Erica Jackson and 11 off the bench from freshman forward Tiffany Washington, held a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Neither team led by more than six points in a see-saw first half.

USC next hosts Arizona at 2 p.m on Sunday (Feb. 16) at the Lyon Center.

Post-Game Quotes

USC COACH FRED WILLIAMS
"It was a very physical game. I told the team it was going to a very physical, scrappy game. It was going to be won on the boards. At halftime we wanted to make sure we took care of the boards."

On Washington's big game
"Tiffany is a physical player (laughs). You have these types of games, you have to play those types of players. She did some good things for us on the boards...and got lots of loose balls. And that's what we needed tonight. Tiffany did a great job for us."

On Parriott's injury
"It's just a slight twist. Hopefully it doesn't flare up on her. We tried to ice it down and get ready for Sunday's game (against Arizona)."

USC FORWARD TINA THOMPSON
"I don't think this was a good game for either team. I don't think I've ever heard that many whistles in a game. I'm glad we could come out with a win."

On hosting fourth place Arizona Sunday:
"It's huge. Arizona is a good team and we had a tough time beating them up there. They match up with us pretty well. We're looking forward to it.

On Washington's effort:
"This is Tiffany's type of game. I mean, Tiffany is v-e-r-y physical, even in practice. She likes to get in there and mix it up. This is perfect for her (laughs)."

USC RESERVE TIFFANY WASHINGTON
"It was a real physical game. The game at ASU, I fouled out. So (smiles), I knew what kind of game it was going to be. It felt like I was a contributing factor. Tina was in foul trouble. So I knew I had to step up. When it's your turn to step up, you can't hold anything back.

On the adjustment from being a high school star to playing behind Thompson:
It's really hard. You're on the bench and you want to be included. It's the hardest thing. I get real frustrated. But I know it is her year. Next year and the years following it could be mine."

Post-Game Notes

• Tina Thompson was honored in a pregame ceremony for surpassing the 2,000-point career scoring mark. She accomplished that last week at Stanford, and is currently fourth on the Pac-10 all-time scoring list.

• The Women of Troy remain unranked in the nation's polls despite losing only five games and playing a very strong schedule. In fact, the RPI rankings, used by the NCAA Tournement selection committee, list USC at No. 13 in the country.

• Michelle Campbell has five double-doubles on the season.

Arizona State -- Boyle 3-7 0-0 6, Stilson 3-7 0-0 6, Tuter 6-19 4-5 18, Carl 1-2 0-0 3, Gledhill 1-1 0-0 3, L. Johnson 0-3 3-4 3, Amama 2-4 0-3 4, Lowe 4-11 4-4 12, Sand 1-3 0-0 2, Stolt 0-5 2-2 2, Freeman 1-6 2-4 4. Totals: 22-69 15-22 63.

USC -- Thompson 9-15 2-2 22, Parriott 3-4 0-0 6, Campbell 5-9 0-0 10, Jackson 3-7 3-4 10, Kr. Clark 1-5 3-4 6, Williams 3-6 2-3 8, Washington 4-6 3-4 11, Miller 1-2 2-2 4, Ki. Clark 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 29-55 15-19 77.

Halftime: USC 36, Arizona State 34. Three-point field goals: Arizona State 4-17 (Tuter 2), USC 4-5 (Thompson 2). Rebounds: Arizona State 38 (Tuter 8), USC 42 (Campbell 11). Assists: Arizona State 10 (Tuter 5), USC 17 (Jackson 5). Blocks: Arizona State 0, USC 9 (Thompson, Campbell 2). Steals: Arizona State 10 (Boyle 3), USC 9 (Kr. Clark 3). Turnovers: Arizona State 21, USC 23. Fouls: Arizona State 15, USC 18. Technical Fouls: None. Attendance: 714.