Advertisement

WOMEN

Share

* No. 3 NOTRE DAME (10-0) at USC (5-4), 7--The Irish, led by 6-foot-5 senior center Ruth Riley, will challenge USC’s 3-0 Sports Arena record tonight. The Trojans have played like a top-20 team at home but have lost four one-sided road games, most recently at Baylor and Texas Tech. After sitting out the first six games because of a sore back, USC freshman guard Aisha Hollans has come off the bench to lead the team in scoring at 14.3 points a game and she’s shooting 53%. Riley, who has blocked 29 shots, is shooting 60%. and averages 14.3 points and seven rebounds. Notre Dame has beaten two ranked teams. The Trojans open Pac-10 play at Washington State Jan. 4.

*

* PEPPERDINE (8-4) at UCLA (1-8), 7--If UCLA is to begin Pac-10 play next week with more than one win, it must come today. A victory isn’t likely Saturday in Pauley Pavilion against fourth-ranked Georgia. So far, UCLA has beaten only Long Beach State, 86-60, on Dec. 10. Pepperdine won five in a row after a 98-63 bombing Nov. 21 by No. 1 Connecticut but has recently lost to USC and Texas A&M.; UCLA’s Michelle Greco leads the Pac-10 in scoring at 20.1 points a game. Damaris Hinojosa leads the Waves at 14.2. UCLA Coach Kathy Olivier was dealt another personnel blow this week. Senior guard LaCresha Flannigan, a returning starter who missed the preseason due to academic problems, has been ruled out for the entire season. That came on the heels of another starting guard from last season, freshman Nicole Kaczmarski, announcing she was leaving UCLA.

Advertisement