WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL : USC’s Effort in Loss to Huskies Leaves Miller Fuming

When she became USC’s women’s basketball coach 18 months ago, Cheryl Miller really didn’t expect to have players as talented as she had been.

She did, however, expect them to play as hard as she had. On Sunday afternoon, they didn’t. USC lost a key Pacific 10 game to Washington, 75-72, before 690 at the Lyon Center and Miller was steamed.

Before entering her team’s post-game meeting room, she punched a bulletin board on wheels, uttered an expletive and then conducted a team meeting at full volume.

“What this team needs are things I can’t coach,” she said later.

“It’s about heart and effort. . . . We need a higher maturity level from certain individuals.”

The loss, USC’s second to Washington, dropped the Trojans to 6-5 in league play and into fourth place. Suddenly, defending conference champion USC (13-6) might not make the 64-team NCAA tournament field, even if five Pac-10 teams go.

“We have to win out now, no question,” Miller said.

“If we wind up in a tie for fourth or fifth. . . .” She shrugged.

Washington (19-5, 9-2) trails only Stanford (10-1) in the league standings. The Huskies did two things that infuriated Miller:

--They consistently beat USC’s defense downcourt.

--Shannon Kelly made four of six three-point shots, some of them uncontested.

UCLA 71, Washington State 57--Nickey Hilbert, Kellie Bennett and Tawana Grimes scored in double figures to lead the Bruins (8-12, 3-8) to a Pac-10 victory over the Cougars (11-9, 4-7) at the Wooden Center.