Women’s Basketball Roundup : Nelson Tops USC With 28 Points, 14 Rebounds

Junior center Cherie Nelson had 28 points and 14 rebounds to lead the USC women’s basketball team to a 92-69 nonconference win over North Carolina Saturday night at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Nelson led five USC scorers in double figures. Karon Howell had 19 points, Paula Pyers 14, Tammy Hammond 13 and Kalen Wright 10.

North Carolina, which trailed, 47-36, at halftime, narrowed the gap to five early in the second half and trailed by only eight before USC (6-3) scored 15 consecutive points to make it 79-56.

Tia Poindexter scored 17 points to lead North Carolina (6-4).

Cal State Long Beach 91, UC Irvine 68--Junior Traci Waites, a transfer from Georgia playing in her first game for the 49ers, scored 29 points to lead Long Beach in its Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. opener at Irvine’s Bren Events Center.

Penny Toler had 20 points and Cheryl Dowell 17 for 11th-ranked Long Beach (4-3). Natalie Crawford had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Cheryl Eiland added 11 points and 11 rebounds for UC Irvine (2-7).