Trojans Win With Gnekow

Because she is the prototypical role player -- hustling for rebounds, diving for loose balls, defending the opponents’ best forward -- it’s easy to believe that any points USC gets from Meghan Gnekow are a bonus.

But Gnekow can have big days offensively, and her performance Sunday -- 15 points and nine rebounds -- was a key reason the Trojans beat Arizona State, 66-45, in front of 1,013 in a Pacific 10 Conference game at the Lyon Center.

Gnekow, a 5-foot-11 junior, is not a great shooter; on Sunday she made only five of 14 shots. But she made timely baskets that helped USC keep the momentum once it seized it from the Sun Devils midway through the first half.

The Trojans also fed off her defensive intensity, holding Arizona State to 37% shooting (17 of 46) and forcing 21 turnovers.

The win, the sixth in a row for the Trojans (12-4, 6-1), moved USC atop the conference standings by a half-game over Stanford, and a full game ahead of suddenly stumbling UCLA.

Arizona State fell to 12-5, 4-3.

“It’s still too early to get excited. There’s a long way to go,” said Trojan Coach Mark Trakh. “But right now the psyche of the team is good. They’re confident they’re playing good basketball.”

As for Gnekow, Trakh was emphatic. “She is the heart and soul of our team right now. She is all over the place. She leaves everything on the floor. She’s one of the reasons we are playing well.”

On Sunday Eshaya Murphy (15 points) and Jamie Funn (12 points) joined Gnekow in helping USC take a 32-21 halftime lead. In the second half the lead would grow to as much as 24.

Amy Denson led Arizona State with eight points.