USC gets pummeled by No. 5 Stanford in Santa Cruz
Sophomore guard Endyia Rogers is one of the top offensive players in the Pac-12 conference. On Sunday, Rogers scored 19 points for the Trojans and picked up an additional 4 rebounds. (Ling Luo | Daily Trojan)
The No. 5 Stanford Cardinal comfortably defeated USC by a score of 86-59 on Sunday afternoon. The Trojans hung around with sophomore guard Haley Jones and company in the first quarter, but a 16-0 Stanford scoring run late in the first half gave the Cardinal a lead they never looked back from. The Stanford scoring run turned the game on its head as USC went from leading 18-15 to trailing 31-18 in a matter of minutes.
The Cardinal started the game slowly but put the game away in the second half. Stanford was looking to avoid its third-straight defeat after a 9-0 start to Pac-12 play and a 12-0 start to the season.
USC took good care of the basketball despite the loss, turning the ball over just eight times compared to Stanford’s 18. The Trojans’ main issue came on the glass, where USC was outrebounded convincingly on both ends of the floor. Stanford brought down 53 rebounds, including 18 on the offensive end. USC, on the other hand, brought down a total of just 22 rebounds, and a mere five on the offensive end.
The Trojans’ inability to limit Stanford’s opportunities on the offensive end was taken advantage of by Cardinal senior guard Kiana Williams and Jones. Williams finished with 16 points, bringing her to a total of 43 points scored in two games against USC this season. Jones finished with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. Jones entered the game ranked third in rebounding and first in field goal percentage in the Pac-12. Jones and Williams were two of four Cardinal players to finish with 12 or more points in the contest.
A bright spot for the Trojans was graduate transfer forward Jordan Sanders, who finished with 12 points and the team’s only blocked shot. Sanders entered the game ranked third in the Pac-12 in three point shooting percentage. Sanders has now scored 10 or more points in 10 of her 12 games this season.
Sophomore guard Endyia Rogers continued to handle the majority of the scoring load with Sanders, finishing with a team-high 19 points and four rebounds. Rogers has enjoyed an efficient season thus far and entered Sunday’s contest ranked fifth in the conference in scoring, seventh in assists and sixth in field goal percentage.
Sophomore forward Alissa Pili played just five minutes before leaving the game with an injury in the first quarter. This was Pili’s third appearance this season as she continues to work her way back to Pac-12 freshman of the year-form following a nagging ankle injury. Head Coach Mark Trakh said the severity of the injury is unknown in a postgame statement. The constant lineup changes caused by uncertainty surrounding Pili has left the Trojans unable to settle into a rotation, making it difficult for them to find their groove.
“We have a lot to work on, and we’re still trying to integrate some new players,” Trakh said.
Trakh also suggested that Stanford’s late first quarter run could have been attributed to the blow dealt by Pili’s exit from the game.
“We felt we were playing well when [Pili] was in there,” Trakh said. “We felt there was a letdown when she got hurt.”
Sophomore center Angel Jackson continued to fill the stat sheet in Pili’s absence. Jackson reached double-digits in scoring for the seventh time this season and was active on the defensive end, picking up four steals, tying her season-high.
The Trojans struggled to keep up with Stanford’s three-point shooting throughout the game. The Cardinal converted on 10 of 25 attempted threes, while USC knocked down just four of 12 attempts. Ultimately, Stanford scored 30 points from behind the three-point line while USC scored just 12. The 18-point differential in three-point shooting and 10-point differential in second chance points can be identified as two of the main reasons for the Trojans’ struggles in the 27-point loss. A lack of rhythm on offense made it difficult for the Trojans to keep up with Stanford’s high-powered offense.
“I thought we played well; we started well,” Trakh said. “We stopped moving and got a little stagnant on offense.”
Trakh and the Trojans dropped to 6-7 on the season and 4-6 in conference play after the loss. The loss was USC’s second defeat to Stanford on the season. As a result, the Trojans are still searching for their first win over the Cardinal since 2014.
“We just need to get back to work, get better and get ready for the Arizonas,” Trakh said.
USC returns to action next weekend against Arizona and Arizona State, both of whom beat the Trojans during the first week of conference play earlier this season.