USC Women Get Inspiring Win

With just over seven minutes left in a game No. 20 UCLA seemed preordained to win, the USC women were looking uphill at an eight-point deficit.

Then, to the amazement of practically all of the 2,145 who watched at the Sports Arena on Saturday afternoon, the Trojans won the game, 73-69, finishing with an 18-6 run and ending a three-game losing streak.

Moreover, USC’s upset ended a five-game UCLA winning streak over USC--the Trojans’ first victory in the series since 1997. The USC men’s team ended a 10-game losing streak against UCLA last month and the football team ended an eight-year drought against the Bruins in November.

After hugging everyone in sight--including USC President Steve Sample--an ecstatic USC Coach Chris Gobrecht described what happened during a timeout with 7:04 left.

“I told them the pressure was all on them, to go for it,” she said. “And I reminded them of why this game meant so much to us. Another factor was, this time we guarded ‘em.”

She referred to UCLA’s easy 82-62 victory over USC on Jan. 16 at Pauley Pavilion.

The game meant so much, Gobrecht said, because of a departed member of the USC family.

Barbara Williams, USC’s administrative assistant for women’s basketball since 1992, died suddenly Dec. 30 of a brain aneurysm. Each season, Gobrecht said, Williams would get particularly hyped over the UCLA-USC game.

“This game each season meant so much to Barbara, and she inspired us today,” Gobrecht said. “She would have been so pumped to see how we played today.”

The Trojans, 9-11 overall and 4-6 in the Pacific 10 Conference, played the final eight minutes as if they, not UCLA (13-7, 7-3), were the ones making a run at a conference championship. The Bruins, after a 6-0 Pac-10 start, have lost three of their last four.

Both coaches agreed that the absence of UCLA substitute Michelle Greco was a factor. She sat out after experiencing concussion-like symptoms last weekend for the fourth time this season.

“Michelle, in my opinion, is the best sixth player in the Pac-10 and while I wouldn’t say not having her today cost us the game, not having her was a big miss,” Coach Kathy Olivier said.

“What beat us was our 31 [32, actually] turnovers. That, and a bad start to the second half.”

UCLA had a 38-31 halftime lead, then USC scored the first four points of the second half, tied the score, 49-49, and posted two one-point leads before Maylana Martin directed a 10-1 run to give the Bruins their ill-fated eight-point lead at 63-55 with 7:04 to go.

UCLA took a major hit in the standings. Arizona, with its 96-81 win Saturday over Washington, now leads with a 9-2 record.

Down the stretch, UCLA went nearly three minutes without a point while Denise Woods, Tashara Carter and Camile Norwood brought USC back to within striking distance.

Carter got a putback with 2:21 left to give the Trojans a 67-65 lead, but Marie Philman did the same at the other end to tie it at the 1:09 mark.

The tiebreaking points came with 49 seconds left when point guard Erica Mashia made a great inside pass to Tiffany Elmore, who made a six-foot jump shot. Martin then fouled Mashia, who made both free throws with 16 seconds left for a 71-67 lead.

Martin, a senior, seemed a bit shell-shocked afterward.

“This is hard for me. I’ll never play USC again,” she said.

“All we can do is learn from this experience, and have a great practice Monday and get ready to play the Arizonas at Pauley.

“Yes, we missed Michelle. This was Michelle’s kind of game. She likes to drive a lot and SC is the kind of team that forces you to put the ball on the floor.”

Gobrecht credited two ex-USC point guards with an assist.

“Kris Clark and Nicky McCrimmon practiced with us this week and it really helped,” she said. “UCLA not having Greco was significant. I think they tired at the end and we were able to take advantage of that.”