Breakthrough Win for Trojan Women

Coaches love to talk about “seizing the moment,” which is something the USC women have been trying to do all season.

After near misses against nationally ranked Connecticut and Colorado, the Trojans didn’t let a big moment get away Sunday, rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit to stun No. 6-ranked Stanford, 59-56, in front of 1,444 at the Sports Arena.

USC parlayed 16 points and nine rebounds by senior forward Ebony Hoffman with a dogged defense that forced 17 turnovers to overtake Stanford.

The Trojans outscored the Cardinal, 18-6, in the final 7:19 and overcame a 29-point, 14-rebound performance by Stanford All-American Nicole Powell, who came out of the game briefly after turning her right ankle. She missed a chance to force overtime when her three-point attempt bounced twice off the back of the rim with four seconds left.

The loss dropped Stanford, 15-3 overall and 8-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, into a first-place tie with Arizona. USC (10-7, 7-2) is in third place.

“That was fun,” USC Coach Chris Gobrecht said. “It’s really nice to play Stanford when it means something. And it’s especially nice to come out with a victory when it means something.”

It definitely meant something to Hoffman, who has yet to play in the NCAA tournament and has been trying to get the Trojans the kind of victory the selection committee notices.

“We’ve come so close this [season] against ranked teams,” said Hoffman, who made only four of 12 shots but sank seven of seven free throws. “To finally beat a top 10 team means a lot because now we’re in the running for a lot of stuff.”

The game was hardly an artistic success, primarily because both defenses wouldn’t allow it. USC shot 31.7% (19 for 60), and Stanfordwas marginally better at 34.7% (17 for 49).

Powell nearly won the game by herself, at one point scoring 13 consecutive points for Stanford as the Cardinal built a 48-36 lead with 8:41 to play.

The Stanford lead was 50-41 at the 7:19 mark when the Trojans made their run.

“We had key turnovers at times, and we had people at times just waiting for Nicole to make plays,” Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said.