USC women fall to Pac-12 leader Arizona State, 50-45
USC guard Courtney Jaco tries to cut off a drive by Arizona State guard Elisha Davis during the first half Friday night.
Katie Hempen scored 11 points and No. 9 Arizona State held on late to win its seventh in a row, defeating USC, 50-45, on Friday night at the Galen Center
Elisha Davis added 8 points and Sophie Brunner grabbed 11 rebounds for the Sun Devils (25-4, 16-1 Pac-12), who stayed atop the conference standings with one league game to play.
Kristen Simon scored 15 points and Sadie Edwards added 11 points for the Trojans (18-11, 6-11 Pac-12), who lost for the fifth time in six games and remained in eighth place.
The Sun Devils outrebounded the Trojans, 38-26, and shot 54% in the second half to edge USC for the second time this season.
With the score 47-45, Temi Fagbenle missed a contested layup that would have tied the score with 32 seconds left. Sabrina Haynes made one of two free throws with 28 seconds left to give Arizona State a 48-45 lead.
After Sadie Edwards missed a three-pointer, Brunner made the first of two free throws, with Kelsie Moos being fouled while rebounding the miss. Moos made one of two for the final margin.
The Sun Devils twice built their lead to seven points in the fourth quarter, only to see the Trojans fight back.
From 5:11 remaining in the second quarter through the end of the third, neither team had a lead of more than three points.
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