Weekend at home for hoops


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This weekend marks the end of the regular season for the women’s basketball team as it faces off against two Arizona teams in an effort to improve its postseason seeding. At 6-10, the Women of Troy  are currently ranked eighth in the Pac-12 going into a weekend against NCAA No. 9 Arizona State.

The first game of the weekend will be a challenge for the Trojans, as they rematch against Arizona State, a team they nearly toppled earlier this season. Both teams were neck-and-neck the whole game, with USC taking an early lead before ASU pulled back to a tie at the half. The game came down to the wire, with ASU forward Sophie Brunner converting a 3-point play to take a 1-point lead.

In the final seconds, USC made a buzzer-beater shot to take the lead, but the referee called off the play. The game’s ending was bitter for the team, and heading into Friday the players will be ready for redemption on their home court. Despite a disparity in rankings, the players feel that they have an even shot at taking down the No. 9-ranked team on Friday.

“We played an amazing game, and at the end of the day, it wasn’t anything we did,” associate head coach Beth Burns said. “They made the play. Now though, they know what we can do, we’re on their radar, and they’re going to bring their very best against us.”

Sunday’s game will be an easier matchup for the Trojans, as they take on the unranked Arizona Wildcats at home. Ranked eleventh in the conference, the Wildcats have only notched two wins in their Pac-12 season, against bottom-ranked Colorado and California. Earlier in the season, the Trojans bounced back from a slow start to handle Arizona 67-57 on the road.

It was in that game three weeks ago that junior point guard Courtney Jaco saw her shooting come alive again. Formerly the key shooting guard for the team, two academic ineligibilities forced Jaco to take on the role of the point guard, a position she had never filled before. This resulted in her taking on more of a leadership position for the team, changing the way she handles the ball and fits into the offense.

Although Jaco has come alive as a leader in the point position, the switch has slowed her ability to heat up from behind the 3-point line as her position forces her to assist and drive. In the previous game against Arizona, however, Jaco found her rhythm behind the line, dropping four 3-point shots and a total of 24 points to lead the Trojans for a from-behind lead. Now, Jaco will be called upon to lead her team in a defining weekend as the Trojans look to prepare for the postseason.

“We want this as much as any team could want it,” Jaco said. “We know that these are two games that we can win, that we have the ability to win this weekend but we have to play together, as a team, to win as a team.”