COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Women : USC Opens Pacific 10 Play at Cal; UCLA Takes On Stanford

The USC women’s basketball team, having lost consecutive games for the first time since the 1984-85 season, will travel to Berkeley to begin its Pacific 10 Conference schedule tonight against California.

The Trojans (6-3) won’t play at home again until Jan. 15, but at least getting back to the state of California may help them. In Miami last week for the Orange Bowl Invitational, they lost to Tennessee and Ohio State as several players were sidelined because of injury or illness. Coach Linda Sharp had only eight players available for the game against the top-ranked Volunteers.

Sophomore Cherie Nelson led USC in scoring in all three tournament games and was the top rebounder in two. Junior forward Wendy Brown, best known as a triple jumper on the track and field team, led the team with six rebounds in the Ohio State loss.

UCLA, after breaking its three-game losing streak with a win over San Diego State Monday, will also open Pac-10 play in the Bay Area with a game tonight at Stanford (6-3).

The Bruins, who have never lost to the Cardinal in 13 meetings, will probably be without two starting forwards, freshman Sandra VanEmbricqs and senior Shari Biggs. VanEmbricqs will miss her fourth straight game with a strained left knee, while Biggs is expected to sit out her second straight game because of a heart murmur.

Dora Dome, a junior forward, leads UCLA (5-3) in scoring with a 15.1 average.