by WESTWOOD, CALIF. — The USC women’s basketball team came up against a No. 10 UCLA squad with extremely hot hands on home turf tonight, falling 93-51 to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA shot 51 perfect from the floor but was 70 percent from 3-point range as the Bruins overpowered the visiting Trojans in both teams’ final regular-season game. USC goes to 10-11 overall and wraps the regular season with an 8-10 mark in Pac-12 play. UCLA improves to 14-4 overall and is 12-4 in Pac-12 action.
UCLA hit seven 3-pointers in the second quarter to turn a once-tight game into a tough go for the Trojans, as the Bruins gripped a 43-23 lead by halftime. UCLA shot 45 percent from the floor in the first half to USC’s 32, while the Bruins knocked down eight threes and the Trojans had three by the break to account for that halftime deficit. By the final buzzer, the Bruins had landed 16 threes, going 70 percent from beyond the arc and finishing at 51 percent overall to overwhelm USC’s five 3-pointers made and a final 34-percent effort from the floor. UCLA also outrebounded USC 43-28, while the Trojans committed 19 turnovers to 11 by the Bruins.
USC was led by Alissa Pili’s (Inupiaq) 18 points and five rebounds, with Jordyn Jenkins hitting a career-high 14 points for the Trojans. UCLA received a triple-double from Charisma Osborne with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Meanwhile, Michaela Onyenwere scored a game-high 30 points, going 6-for-6 from 3-point range. Also scoring in double digits for UCLA was Lindsey Corsaro with 14 points.
It was a defensive battle out of the gates with both teams largely keeping the other under wraps. USC’s Alissa Pili planted a 3-pointer to tie things up 9-9 with 2:45 on the clock, although UCLA would edge out ahead to lead it 14-11 after 10 minutes of action. In the second, though, the Bruins found their hot sport beyond the arc. UCLA landed six 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the third, mounting a 14-0 run that would put USC behind 31-13 until Jordan Sanders got in on the perimeter action for USC with a three to stop the Bruins’ surge. UCLA would continue to chug, finish out the half with a 43-23 lead over the Trojans.
In the third, UCLA charged on, drumming up four more threes to create more space on the Trojans, who saw Jordyn Jenkins and Alissa Pili work their way into double digits although USC was unable to reel the Bruins in any closer, trailing 69-39 entering the fourth. UCLA kept the Trojans at bay the rest of the way and rounded out a 93-51 win to wrap the regular season for both teams.
NOTABLE:
– SO F Alissa Pili scored in doubles digits for the sixth time since making her season debut on Jan. 15.
