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Jan. 24, 2012
COMING UP NEXT
USC is lined up for its first Pac-12 battles with its newest conference-mates this week. The Women of Troy (10-7, 5-2 Pac-12) are off to the mountains, first paying a visit to Boulder, Colo., to take on last year's WNIT quarterfinal opponent Colorado (14-4, 2-3) in a 7 p.m. MT matchup on Thursday (Jan. 26). Then it's over to Salt Lake City to take on Utah (9-9, 2-3) in a 3 p.m. MT clash on Saturday (Jan. 28).
FOLLOW ALONG
This weekend's games will have live audio provided by Jason Schwartz. Live stats through GameTracker for all games also 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. Colorado and Utah both are also unranked.
LAST WEEK
USC saw highs and lows last week at Galen Center, with a big win over Oregon to stretch to a five-game winning streak before falling in overtime to Oregon State. Against the Ducks, USC shrugged off a comeback push by Oregon by scoring 33 points in the last 10 minutes to play to tack up a 92-73 win over the visiting Ducks to lock in on the Trojans' fifth straight win on Thursday night. Briana Gilbreath was one rebound away from a triple-double, finishing with a game-high 18 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine rebounds down the stretch. Christina Marinacci also had a double-double, netting 14 points and 10 boards. USC was hitting at a dreary 22-percent clip through the first five minutes of play before heating things up to 44 percent by halftime. In the last five minutes of the half, USC turned a 29-29 lockup into a 49-36 lead at the break. Freshman Alexyz Vaioletama had her second career double-digit game pocketed by halftime as she led all with 10 points and seven rebounds on the way into the locker room. She would finish with a career-high 12, as Gilbreath, Marinacci and Cassie Harberts tagged in and worked their way into double figures in the second half. Oregon rallied into a slim one-point lead with 10:35 to go, only to see the Women of Troy overpower the Ducks 33-13 in the final stretch. Harberts finished with 17 points for the Trojans to go with Gilbreath's 18, Marinacci's 14 and Vaioletama's 12. Oregon received 16 from Liz Brenner, 14 from Jasmin Holiday and 13 from Jordan Loera. USC rounded out the win shooting 40 percent from the floor to Oregon's 37 percent, and went big on the boards with a 58-39 advantage. Two days later, USC saw its undefeated January run come to an end with an overtime loss to visiting Oregon State, which outpaced the Trojans when it counted for a 65-61 decision. The teams traded the lead 25 times in the game, but Ashley Corral's game-high 20 points wasn't enough to lift the Trojans past the sharp-shooting Beavers. The game was tied up four times, including once in overtime. The Beavers made the last winning push, however, benefiting from late misses by the Trojans to pull ahead to victory. Oregon State shot 46 percent in the game to USC's 32 percent, although both teams were fairly cold from the free-throw line. USC went 7-for-15 from the line, and OSU was 7-of-14. Corral led all with 20 points for USC to go with 10 from Cassie Harberts. Oregon State received 17 points from Sage Indendi, 14 from Ali Gibson and 12 from Patricia Bright. The Beavers also managed to outrebound USC 41-38 in the game.
BEATING THE BRUINS
The USC women's basketball team snapped a four-game skid against crosstown rival UCLA with a defensive stand today against the Bruins in a 47-43 Trojan victory. Behind 10 points and eight assists from Ashley Corral, the Women of Troy overmatched the Bruins to notch USC's fourth straight win of the year. Corral passed up Cheryl Miller on the career assists list at USC by halftime of today's clash with UCLA. Five first-half assists from Corral helped set up the Trojans with a tight 26-25 lead at the break on a 42-percent shooting effort by the Trojans to that point. The Bruins, meanwhile, were hitting at 36 percent, and were up on the boards with a 20-19 rebounding edge. The second half saw scoring slumps on both ends, as USC finished shooting at 29 percent behind 30 from the Bruins. It was USC's dedication to the boards that really sealed the deal, with Cassie Harberts and Alexyz Vaioletama leading USC with 10 rebounds each to lift USC ahead 48-40 down the stretch. UCLA was led by 20 points from Rebekah Gardner and 14 rebounds from Markel Walker on the day. In the second half, USC made an 8-0 run to pass up the Bruins and take a 38-34 lead as the Trojan defense rendered UCLA silent for over nine minutes. But USC also would fall scoreless for almost six minutes before Corral found Stefanie Gilbreath for a three and then delivered a runner to take USC up 43-38 with four minutes remaining. That bucket put Corral as the first Trojan to get to double figures, and more importantly gave USC a winning lift. UCLA would close to within two points with 2:13 to go, then cut it to one with 23 ticks remaining before Harberts got a couple trips to the line around another USC defensive stop, hitting three of her four to finish out a 47-43 Trojan win.
SCOUTING COLORADO
The Buffs are 14-4 overall and 3-4 in Pac-12 play after falling 64-43 to ASU and beating Arizona 56-54 last week. Chucky Jeffery leads Colorado with 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Linda Lappe is in her second season as head coach of the Buffs, who went 18-16 overall last season with a 6-12 mark in the Big 12 and a trip to the WNIT quarterfinals. USC is 4-2 all-time against Colorado as the teams set up for their first game as conference-mates. The Trojans have won four straight against the Buffs, including two wins last season when USC beat Colorado 68-54 at the Galen Center in a nonconference game and then 87-70 in Boulder in the 2011 WNIT quarterfinals.
SCOUTING UTAH
The Utes enters the week at 9-9 overall and 2-5 in Pac-12 play after beating Arizona 65-60 in overtime and falling to ASU 59-51 last week. Michelle Plouffe leads Utah with 14.6 points per game and averages 8.3 rebounds per game, just behind Taryn Wicijowski's 8.4 per game. Anthony Levrets is in his second season as head coach of the Utes, who went 18-17 last season with an 7-9 finish in the Mountain West Conference. USC is 5-3 all-time against Utah as the teams enter their first game as conference-mates this week. The Utes beat the Trojans 87-77 in Salt Lake City in their last meeting during the 2008-09 season.
ROAD WARRIORS
A road-tested and decorated 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. USC is now 3-5 in road and neutral-site games to date. Four of USC's five nonconference losses came on the road against currently AP-ranked teams: No. 19 Nebraska, No. 17 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 14 Texas A&M. The only other road loss this year was at unranked Arkansas State in USC's first-ever trip to the state of Arkansas.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Although USC was one of three Pac-12 teams to enter conference play without a winning record, the Trojans boast the toughest schedule in the conference and No. 7 toughest nationally (realtimerpi.com). USC has played three top-10 teams to date (0-3 against), with eight games against currently ranked or receiving votes in the national polls (3-5 against). USC's current NCAA RPI is 22 (as of Jan. 23), putting the Trojans as the second-highest team from the Pac-12.
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. Gilbreath moved up to No. 12 all-time on Jan. 7 and now holds 1,465 career points to sit four away from the No. 11 slot. Corral jumped to No. 14 on Jan. 21 to now hold 1,407. Gilbreath is three blocks away from No. 4 all-time in career blocks (now holds 159) and is now two steals from matching Lisa Leslie at No. 7 all-time in steals (currently holds 225). Gilbreath took over No. 7 on the career free-throws made list on Jan. 5 (currently holds 357), and on Dec. 31, she cracked the top-10 all-time in career rebounds, now ranked No. 8 with 736 -after passing Shay Murphy on Jan. 19. Corral already is etched as USC's all-time 3-point leader (272), and has recently leapfrogged Cheryl Miller, Jamie Hagiya and Tammy Story to now stand at No. 3 in career assists (currently holds 424).
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.
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.
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 11.6 points and 6.1 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 6.8 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 11.1 ppg and 7.3 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, now a sophomore with the Trojans. 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.
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