USC Behind Schedule After 71-39 Loss

USC Coach Chris Gobrecht had good intentions when she drafted a schedule that included top-10 teams Kansas State, Notre Dame, Connecticut and Saturday’s opponent, Tennessee.

But following a 71-39 loss to the fourth-ranked Lady Vols before 3,322 at the Forum -- including members of the 1983 and 1984 USC national championship teams -- and a national television audience, Gobrecht wondered if the 4-4 Trojans were on the road to perdition instead of the NCAA tournament.

“It might have been a mistake to schedule as many of these top-10 opponents as we did so close together,” Gobrecht said. “I believe we will survive on the other side of it; they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

“But psychologically and emotionally, we’ve just not had a chance to recover each time and reload our spirit before we had to face the other one. You could tell we were kinda running on empty emotionally.”

The 7-1 Lady Vols, whose only loss was to top-ranked Duke, can do that to teams.

In its last game, against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4, Tennessee won, 60-35, Louisiana Tech’s lowest point total ever. On Saturday the Vols held the Trojans to their lowest point total ever.

Tennessee ran countless fast breaks, outrebounded USC, 42-28, and forced the Trojans into yet another bad shooting day (16 for 56, 28.6%) with an array of stifling zone defenses.

The game was close for 7 1/2 minutes, after which USC led, 11-6. But the Trojan offense was turned to ice by Tennessee, which closed the half with a 22-3 run for a 28-14 halftime lead. The 14 points, on six-for-22 shooting, were the fewest ever scored by the Trojans in a first half.

“I thought we matched USC’s intensity early,” Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt said. “I knew it would be challenging for us on the boards, and we really concentrated on that.”

There was no letup by Tennessee in the second half. The visitors would lead by as many as 34 points on the way to their fifth consecutive victory over USC.

USC’s previous low was 40 points against Washington in 1990.

Shyra Ely and Kara Lawson led Tennessee with 16 points each. Ebony Hoffman was the only Trojan in double figures (10 points), and she left the game in the final minutes after catching an elbow in the face and bleeding through the nose. After the game, Hoffman was taken to USC University Hospital for a CT scan. She was diagnosed with a mild concussion but was cleared to rejoin the team when her headaches subside.

Gobrecht showed some anger afterward. Asked if she thought the contact was incidental, Gobrecht replied, “What do you think? I think it’s pretty sad you have to clear your elbows like that when you’re up 30.”

It was the kind of fire USC could have used more of Saturday.