USC sets sights on Oregon schools

Coming off a double-overtime loss against Arizona, USC aims to get back on track when it faces Oregon on Friday and Oregon State on Sunday.

With their defeat against the Wildcats, the Trojans are 2-2 in their last four games with a 1-2 record against ranked opponents in that span. 

Graduate guard Destiny Littleton scored 21 points in each of the last three games, and is third on the team with 13.5 points per game.

“I’m just letting the game come to me,” said Littleton in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “I’m not really pressing the issue on the offensive floor.”

When setting the offense, two of Littleton’s go-to players are sophomore forward Rayah Marshall and graduate forward Kadi Sissoko.

Marshall averages a double-double on the season and has recorded at least 20 rebounds in the past two games. The Los Angeles native also records an average of 3.19 blocks per game, the third-highest in the nation. 

Meanwhile, Sissoko leads the team with 15.8 points per game and scored 15 points in the game against Arizona. 

Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said she attributes the team’s recent offensive successes to Littleton’s playmaking abilities.

“It’s her leadership, her ability to get people in the right spots,” Gottlieb said. “She’s seeing the floor well [and] she’s not giving up shots.”

Gottlieb and her team will first have to face an Oregon squad that limited the Trojans to a season-low 45 points in a loss earlier this season. The Ducks have a conference record of 5-7 and an overall record of 14-9.

“They’re really good on offense,” Gottlieb said. “Got to try to make them take the toughest shots possible, and we have to score.”

According to ESPN, the Ducks are projected to be a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Just like Arizona, Oregon features four starters that average more than 10 points a game.

The Ducks are led by senior guard Endyia Rogers, who is first on the team in points per game (16.2) and 3-point percentage (43%). The Texas native scored 19 points in Oregon’s Jan. 1 win over USC.

“She’s a really good player, and we just have to be disciplined against her,” Littleton said. “Any chance we get, we’re going to speed her up and change the looks for her.”

Meanwhile, Marshall will have to contend with sophomore center Phillipina Kyei. The 6-foot-8 phenom picked up 20 rebounds in her previous game against the Trojans. 

After Oregon, the Trojans will take on OSU on Sunday. The Beavers are 10th in the Pac-12 with a conference record of 3-9. The Trojans defeated the Beavers 69-58 in Corvallis Dec. 30, Marshall scoring a career-high of 33 points. 

OSU is coming into the weekend carrying a four-game losing streak with three of those losses being decided by three points or less. The Beavers have an average scoring margin of 3.9.

Only one player has started all 23 of Oregon State’s games: sophomore guard Talia von Oelhoffen, who averages 14.5 points per game. Oelhoffen scored only 7 points in her team’s defeat against the Trojans, though.

USC is 45-30 all-time against Oregon, but has lost the last 12 games in the series. Against Oregon State, USC is 45-31.

USC will host Oregon Friday at 7 p.m. and Oregon State Sunday at noon as the Trojans look to move up in the Pac-12 standings.