Women’s basketball defeats ASU to advance in conference tournament


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Sophomore guard Endyia Rogers’ 30 points led the Trojans to a huge victory. (Peter Gastis | Daily Trojan)

The Trojans earned a 71-65 victory against Arizona State in the first-round of the Pac-12 tournament Wednesday. The loss ended the No. 9 seed Sun Devils postseason and with USC to go on to face No. 1 seed Stanford in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. 

The last time the Trojans and Sun Devils faced each other, sophomore guard Endyia Rogers tied her career high of 30 points, leading ASU to play tight defense against Rogers Wednesday. But it was not enough — Rogers finished with 15 points and 11 assists. 

Graduate forward Jordan Sanders and freshman forward Jordyn Jenkins both put forth strong performances. Jenkins led all scorers with a career-high of 16 points and 6 rebounds. 

“Today, we were all on the same page with what we wanted to do and what we wanted to accomplish,” Sanders said.“This is honestly the best team I have ever played on; just to get this team win the first game of the tournament feels really good.” 

ASU began the game slow which helped USC find their rhythm incredibly quickly. The first quarter began with a 9-0 USC run. USC shot 70% from the field by the end of the half. 

In contrast, ASU committed a total of 10 turnovers by the half. The Sun Devils struggled to adjust to USC’s zone defense and the Trojans were up 39-22 at halftime. 

The fourth quarter was a back and forth scoring affair, but USC maintained their lead. ASU appeared to wake up during the last three minutes of the game, but it was too little too late for the Sun Devils.

Sophomore center Angel Jackson led along in cheering with her teammates and carried each other with much energy. 

“We just have such great energy; it comes from the bench,” Jenkins said. “When we know that the bench is supporting us, I feel like we can do anything.” 

USC head coach Mark Trakh underscored the role chemistry played in the Trojans’ first win of the tournament. 

“The chemistry was really good tonight,” Trakh said. “Chemistry is going to be an important factor moving forward … This game was a great step in that direction.” 

USC communicated well throughout the game, evident when Arizona State would struggle to keep up with the Trojans’ fast-paced shooting. USC’s post footwork was also solid as sophomore forward Alissa Pili started off the scoring for the third quarter. 

Coach Trakh had high praise for Rogers, who finished with 11 assists.

“She handled a lot of pressure [and] played at a really good tempo, made shots early, and I think she really found her teammates,” he said. “I liked her overall point guard play … I liked that she got her teammates involved and we need that.” 

USC will play No. 1 seed Stanford in the quarterfinal Thursday. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.