USC Gets Tough, Tops Oregon State

The USC women’s basketball team defeated Oregon State, 85-72, Friday night, improving to 7-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference and 13-4 overall.

The game, played in front of 776 at USC’s Lyon Center, matched two of the conference’s most physical players--Oregon State’s 6-foot-5 Tina Lelas and USC’s 6-3 Tina Thompson.

USC survived an ugly first half, then traded body checks, forearms to the throat and elbows to the head to earn the victory.

It was the Trojans’ fourth consecutive win since a one-point loss to first-place Stanford on Jan. 12. They play host to Oregon on Sunday.

Oregon State (3-5, 9-8) tried to stop Thompson, the league’s leading scorer, with tough, physical defense inside. And for much of the first half it worked.

But Thompson, with help from 6-2 sophomore Jodi Parriott, made the big plays down the stretch to decide it.

Thompson missed some easy shots early, but finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. She also had 10 of USC’s 33 turnovers.

Senior Michelle Campbell had another strong game, scoring 23 points and adding nine rebounds.

Lelas, the powerfully built Croatian post player, had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Oregon State.

Said Trojan Coach Fred Williams: “Oregon State played us tough and physical for 40 minutes.”