Arizona Rises Against USC

The momentum USC’s women’s basketball team had been riding in the second half of Pacific 10 Conference play hit a snag Sunday afternoon.

The Trojans, who had won six of their past seven games to move from ninth to fifth in the Pac-10, gave up an 11-point second-half lead and dropped a 78-64 decision to No. 24-ranked Arizona before 1,002 at the Sports Arena.

USC (12-13, 7-7) wasted a 25-point, 12-rebound effort by Ebony Hoffman and 15 points by Rometra Craig when the Wildcats outscored the Trojans, 21-3, in the final 7:14.

The Wildcats (17-7, 10-5) may be pushed out of the top 25 rankings after a Friday loss to UCLA that Coach Joan Bonvicini called “the worst game of any team I’ve ever coached.” But on Sunday her Wildcats turned in “the most gutsy performance by any team I’ve ever coached.”

Arizona, which bolted to 24-8 edge and still led, 34-29, at halftime, had an available excuse to quit when standout 6-foot-5 freshman center Shawntinice Polk was helped off the court after injuring her right ankle with 23 seconds left in the first half.

USC compounded Arizona’s misery by ripping off a 20-4 run to open the second half. That gave the Trojans a 49-38 lead with 12:28 left to play.

Then Polk, who finished with 14 points, walked back to the bench and re-entered the game. From then on, Bonvicini spared no comparisons.

“It was like Willis Reed coming out for the Knicks against the Lakers in the [1970 NBA] championship,” the Arizona coach said. “Her presence brings so much to us. We weren’t sure she could play, but Polkie said that while getting treatment she kept hearing Ebony’s name over the PA system. She told the trainer, ‘Tape me up, I’m going back out.’ ”

Polk left the arena on crutches and said she expects to have the ankle X-rayed.

Arizona, which received 23 points from guard Dee-Dee Wheeler and 20 from guard Julie Brase, trimmed USC’s lead to four at the 7:14 mark, then the Wildcats found another gear and ran away for only their sixth win in 25 games at the Sports Arena.

“I was more peeved that the entire 40 minutes we played their game,” USC Coach Chris Gobrecht said. “I told them that playing Arizona is like going to Las Vegas. They’ll sucker you into thinking you’ve got all kinds of great stuff, and you’ve got nothing.”

Aisha Hollans, who scored seven points, played for USC for the first time since partially tearing a ligament in her right knee against Cal on Jan. 24.

-- Mike Terry

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Nikki Blue scored 20 points to lead UCLA over Arizona State, 71-62, in front of 2,290 at Pauley Pavilion. She scored the Bruins’ last basket, giving them a 56-53 lead. UCLA made 15 of 18 free throws down the stretch to clinch the win.

Michelle Greco, who led a first-half rally and made key free throws at the end of the game, added 18 points for UCLA (14-9, 9-5). Carrie Buckner led Arizona State (14-10, 6-9) with 16 points.