The Women of Troy bounce back

For a team that has consistently seen disappointment this season, the USC women’s basketball team is riding a hot streak. After winning only one game during the first eight contests of conference play, the Women of Troy turned the tables by beating both schools from Washington last weekend, scoring over 80 points in each matchup.

On Friday, the Trojans defeated Washington 82-57 at Galen Center. Redshirt freshman guard Shalexxus Aaron scored a career-high 28 points in the game. Aaron, who won Pac-12 Player of the Week, said her teammates served as her main support system throughout the game.

“Every time I made a shot they’re like, ‘Hey, let’s go,’” Aaron said. “And every time I missed, they were like, ‘Keep shooting.’ My teammates believed in me, my coach believed in me, so I just knocked it down.”

The Huskies were on the board early in the first quarter, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers to start the game. However, the Women of Troy were able to bring the deficit down to one possession with scores from redshirt sophomore forward Asiah Jones and junior forward Kayla Overbeck.

The Women of Troy’s two career 1,000-point scorers, senior guard Aliyah Mazyck and junior guard Minyon Moore, also contributed on the offensive end with 2 points each. Both teams were able to force multiple turnovers in the quarter. USC had five steals — two each from Moore and Mazyck and one from Aaron.

Washington extended its lead in the beginning of the second quarter with two 3-pointers and continued to lead with five minutes remaining in the half. But a steal, fastbreak score and a three from Mazyck rallied the Trojans. With 30 seconds to play, a backcourt steal from Moore led to a breakaway layup that gave USC its first lead since the start of the game. The Trojans entered halftime up 34-31.

Freshman forward Darcy Rees led the Huskies with 8 points, but USC shot a blistering 66.6 percent from the field. The Trojans also forced 16 first-half turnovers.

An Aaron 3-pointer started the second half, and Overbeck scored in the post after forcing a shot-clock violation to give USC a two-possession lead. The Huskies were forced to call a timeout with six minutes left in the quarter, when another Aaron three gave USC a 49-34 advantage, capping a 15-3 run. The Huskies’ poor shooting highlighted the quarter, as Washington was only 1-for-11 from the field.

“I wouldn’t have a career high if it wasn’t for my teammates, so I want to congratulate them and thank them first,” Aaron said. “They made an extra emphasis to look for me on the 3-point line … That’s how I was able to knock down those shots.”

The Trojans proved to be too much for the Huskies, continuing to break away in the fourth quarter. In the last two minutes, the Trojans boasted their largest lead of the game at 26 points, en route to an easy victory.

USC had a balanced attack, with five players ending the game in double figures.

Aaron attained her career high in efficient fashion, shooting 10-14 from the field and 6-of-10 from beyond-the-arc in 33 minutes of action. Minyon Moore had a game-high 12 assists, and Minyon Moore, Mazyck and junior forward Ja’Tavia Tapley combined for 15 rebounds.

“Washington State is a good team,” Aaron said, looking ahead to the next game. “We go over the game plan, and we look at the little things, and we just lock in. If we stick to the game plan, and we’re together, we’ll have fun.”

On Sunday, the Trojans defeated Washington State 81-73 at home on the back of a strong second half performance. After trailing by 1 point at the half, the Trojans took control in the third quarter, scoring 25 points to the Cougars’ 19. In the fourth quarter, the Trojans separated themselves from the Cougars, taking control of the ball for most of the last 10 minutes.

Both teams had a healthy field goal percentage in the first half, each hitting over 60 percent of their shots. Furthermore, the Cougars shot well beyond the arc, hitting five out of seven 3-point tries they attempted. The Trojans finished the game with 32 rebounds and made over half the shots that they took.

Mazyck led all players with 27 points. In addition, Moore showed why she has been the team’s star all season long, playing every minute and scoring 21 points.

The Trojans will take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City Friday.