Women of Troy continue losing streak


A last minute come back effort would not help the USC women’s basketball team defeat Oregon. It would be the 3-pointers and free throws that helped the Ducks gain their third Pac-12 win on Monday evening. The low-scoring game ended in a loss for the Women of Troy, 63-57.

Sophomore guard Courtney Jaco lead in scoring with 14 points and two steals. Senior forward Kaneisha Horn scored 10 and had eight rebounds.

“Regardless of the score, we’ve got to learn how to come out and compete, whether we’re up or we’re down,” redshirt sophomore Jordan Adams said.

The game started in an evenly yoked battle, the Ducks (10-11, 3-7 Pac-12) and the Women of Troy        (11-10, 3-7 Pac 12) traded the lead early in the first half. Ten minutes into the first half, both teams were tied at 15 points, neither could make a shot for three minutes in regulation.

It would be a jumper from Adams that would give USC the lead. Then the Women of Troy went on a run offensively for the rest of the half and did not allow the Ducks to see a lead.

USC played defensively and  grabbed a couple of steals to secure their lead. Horn was reliable at the free-throw line and executed a block against Jillian Alleyne. Senior forward Alexyz Vaioletama and sophomore guard Brianna Barrett contributed to the early lead for USC. The Women of Troy had a 5-point lead with two minutes left in regulation in the first half. The Ducks responded with a 3-pointer, the last score for both teams for the half, 23-25 for the Women of Troy.

The game stayed close at the beginning of the second half. The Ducks stayed alive through shots from behind the arc, but the Women of Troy would not allow them to enjoy a lead long. Both teams reached a tie at 31 points that lasted for two minutes. The game continued to stay gridlocked; as one team earned a field goal, the other team would respond at the same volume.

“They had a good game plan,” Jaco said. “They packed it in, so we had to shoot.”

With 6:50 left in regulation, the Ducks found a lead opportunity with a single free throw. The Women of Troy lost the lead and would never get it back. USC went scoreless for three minutes while the Ducks took flight offensively.

USC had a burst of energy in the last minute of the game with 3-pointers from Vaioletama and Jaco, but their efforts could not beat the Ducks in the long run.

The Women of Troy will return home to face Utah on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Galen Center.