Women’s basketball goes winless on Arizona road trip


Junior guard Minyon Moore is indispensable for USC this season, leading the Women of Troy in points (14.5), rebounds (5.4) and assists (6.2) per game. (Tal Volk/Daily Trojan)

After securing their first Pac-12 victory of the season last weekend against UCLA, the USC women’s basketball team fell short of another conference win this weekend in Arizona. The Trojans narrowly lost to the Wildcats 71-68 on Friday before suffering a tough 68-59 defeat to No. 21 Arizona State on Sunday.

Friday’s showdown with Arizona was a close contest at first, with each team posting 16 first quarter points. USC countered Arizona’s four first quarter threes with a well-rounded attack, sinking baskets from both inside and outside the arc. This offensive momentum continued into the second quarter for the Trojans, fueled by junior guard Minyon Moore, who scored 8 straight points in the quarter. Moore totaled a team-high 20 points and six assists on the night, capturing the No. 9 spot on the Trojans’ all-time list for assists.

USC’s 33-28 halftime lead was quickly snapped up by the Wildcats, who mounted a 10-0 rally in the third, keeping the Trojans at bay. The Trojans, who average 30.8 percent from behind-the-arc this season, only managed to make six 3-pointers in 24 total attempts. Arizona’s 61.5 percent shooting from the field in the third, coupled with the rebounding efforts of redshirt junior forward Dominique McBryde, were key in its third quarter dominance.

After falling behind by 13 points with just eight minutes to go, the Trojans cut Arizona’s lead down to just 3 points. However, they were unable to send off a final shot to tie, and the Wildcats emerged victorious.

While the Trojans usually rise to the challenge defensively, allowing 62.1 points per game, they struggled to prevent the Wildcats from scoring, especially in the second half. Four Wildcats achieved double-digit scoring on the night, with redshirt sophomore guard Aari McDonald leading the pack at 20 points.

Sunday’s game against Arizona State began with another achievement for Minyon Moore: her 1,000th career point. Again, the Trojans got off to a strong start on both ends of the court, leading the Sun Devils 18-14 heading into the second.

However, five fouls in just two minutes allowed ASU to keep possession in the second quarter. The Trojan offense was halted in a 10-0 run for the Sun Devils.

“We need to be better, we need to be more attentive on defense,” said senior guard Aliyah Mazyck regarding the Trojan’s foul trouble. “We need to understand that it’s not up to just five players. Everybody has to play their role and fill in when people can’t.”

At halftime on Sunday, the Trojans’ focused on their third quarter play, aiming to avoid a poor offensive and defensive performance similar to theirs against Arizona.

“That’s always been our point of emphasis in the locker room, that we have to come out strong [in the third quarter] because we usually don’t,” Mazyck said. “We just try to bring that energy and get it one notch up because everyone knows that we always lose in the third.”

The Trojans stayed close throughout, trailing by 4 with two minutes left on the clock. However, the Sun Devils closed out the game without conceding a comeback effort from the Trojans.

The Sun Devils were able to shut down many of USC’s starters offensively in holding the Trojans to just 59 points.  Moore, who is first in scoring for the Trojans this season, was held to only 8 points, while junior forward Kayla Overbeck shot just 1-of-7 from the field.

Despite the weekend’s disappointing outcomes, the Trojans’ ability to stay within striking distance against talented conference opponents suggests the team’s improvement.

“As a team, we’re just growing in an upward direction,” Mazyck said. “Even though we haven’t got the outcomes that we wanted, we’ve seen glimpses of us being a better team. We’ve seen this growth, and I can see it in everyone.”

The conference action continues this weekend for the Women of Troy as they take on Washington and Washington State at the Galen Center.