Women of Troy travel to Long Beach State, host Fresno State

The USC women’s basketball team will look to build on a productive trip to the Carolinas as they return to California to play Long Beach State today at 4:30 p.m. in Long Beach, then come to the Galen Center to play their home opener against Fresno State on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.

USC (1-1) started their season off against a very strong opponent in No. 2 South Carolina (2-0) last Saturday, in a game where the lead kept shifting back and forth and neither team was able to pull away. USC was able to seize a 53-52 lead late in the second half, but a 14-0 surge by the Gamecocks killed USC’s chances for an upset.

The Women of Troy would bounce back quickly, however, and beat Davidson (1-2)99-64. All USC starters finished with double-digit points, while every player on the roster scored at least one basket.

“It’s huge for our confidence,” said head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke after the Davidson game. “We’re on a long road trip, so it’s huge for us to get back on the court and get a big win against Davidson.”

The second-year head coach emphasized her team’s resilience as well.

“We were determined, and played great defense. A lot of people got a lot of minutes, and we were able to play well against a very good Davidson team.”

USC’s tough schedule to start the year continues with their match against Long Beach State (2-0), who is coming off of an 85-73 win over Seattle University, and a 74-62 win against San Diego State. They’re followed up by Fresno State (2-0), who is also off to a hot start after a 67-56 win over Cal Poly and a 65-36 demolishing of Cal State Stanislaus.

“I think it’s pretty good,” said freshman guard McKenzie Calvert about the team’s morale. “Right now we’re just hungry. We’re ready to play all the top teams. We’re ready to just prove and get some respect from everybody.”

The 49ers’ starting five is highlighted by Madison Montgomery, who leads all starters with 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Their bench is just as loaded, however, as Alex Sanchez leads the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game, and is second in assists with 4.5 per game. Lauren Spargo is also averaging 10.0 points per game off the bench.

The Women of Troy beat Long Beach State 89-72 at the Galen Center last season, behind a double-double from Cassie Harberts (24 points, 14 rebounds) and 17 points from Ariya Crook. Harberts and Crook were two of five players to score double-digit points for USC.

USC is 22-29 all-time against the 49ers, with the 49ers’ last win in the series being a 51-46 win in Long Beach in the 2005-06 season. Long Beach State finished last year with a record of 17-15 and finished sixth in the Big West Conference with an 8-8 record.

The Bulldogs went 22-11 last season, including 13-5 in the Mountain West to take second in the conference, and reach the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing 74-55 to Nebraska.

The last meeting between the Women of Troy and the Bulldogs ended with USC pulling out a 63-54 win in Fresno. Crook led the team with 14 points, Harberts added 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, and junior guard Jordan Adams finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

“This job is definitely far from finished, and [we have to] just be focused and ready to play, and take one game at a time,” said sophomore guard Courtney Jaco.

USC is 6-5 all-time against Fresno State, with the Bulldogs’ last win coming in Fresno in the 2012-13 season, when they won 65-60.

USC will compete in the SMU Tournament in Dallas, Texas next weekend, taking on Sam Houston State (0-1) on Friday, Nov. 28 at 3 p.m., and either SMU (1-2) or Florida A&M (0-2) on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. They’ll then travel to Moraga, California to face Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. before starting a seven-game homestand.