No. 11 Bruins Beat USC Women 73-52 At Galen Center

BOX SCORE (PDF) | HIGHLIGHTS | Boxscore

LOS ANGELES — The USC women's basketball team had a costly cold snap on the offensive end during the third quarter and consequently lost step with visiting No. 11 UCLA. The lopsided 10-minute stretch spelled doom for the host Trojans, who wound up with a 73-52 loss to the visiting Bruins today at Galen Center. USC goes to 1-3 overall and to 0-3 in Pac-12 play with the loss, while rival UCLA improves to 4-1, 3-1.

UCLA landed seven first-half 3-pointers and was shooting 47 percent from the floor to keep its host ay bay in the first 20 minutes. USC was shooting 40 percent from the floor to that point, as the Trojans trailed 42-30 by halftime. In the third, though, USC came up empty from the floor, able to only land five free throws while UCLA rattled off 20 points. USC heated back up in the fourth but it was too late as the Bruins emerged with the 73-52 win. UCLA had shot 40 percent to USC"s final 36.7-percent effort. The Bruins also hit nine 3-pointers to four but the Trojans and also outrebounded USC 44-29. USC committed 18 turnovers, and UCLA had 12. USC's turnovers turned into 21 points for the Bruins.

USC had two players finish in double digits, with Jordan Sanders leading with 12 points and Desiree Caldwell adding 11. UCLA was paced by Michaela Onyenwere's 19 points and 18 from Charisma Osborne.

UCLA manufactured a 12-0 run in the first frame until Jordan Sanders broke up the rally with a 3-pointer that made it 18-7 with 4:25 on the clock. USC regrouped from there and carved into the UCLA advantage with back-to-back buckets to end the first trailing 27-18. USC kept closer pace with the Bruins in the next stretch as Endyia Rogers found her scoring touch and Desiree Caldwell came up with her eighth points of the half in landing a 3-pointer for a USC boost late in the second. By the halftime buzzer, UCLA held a 42-20 lead over its host. In the third, USC could come up with only free throws, going cold from the floor while UCLA kept firing and built a 62-35 lead entering the fourth. Amaya Oliver would break USC's scoring silence with a jumper in the fourth, making it 62-38. Later, USC pulled together a 6-0 run on buckets from Kyra White, Sanders and Madison Campbell, but it wasn't near enough to catch the Bruins as the Trojans took a final 73-52 loss.

NEXT: 
USC now turns to host top-ranked Stanford next weekend, taking on the Cardinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 19) at Galen Center. 

NOTABLES: 
- FR G Zayla Tinner made her USC debut with her appearance in the second quarter.
- With one 3-pointer made today, RS FR G Madison Campbell has now hit at least one 3-pointer in every game this season.
- With two 3-pointers made today, SR F Jordan Sanders has now hit at least two 3-pointers in all three of her appearances as a Trojan.
- JR G Desiree Caldwell (5) and SO G Kyra White (4) combined for nine of USC's 13 assists today.
- SO C Angel Jackson matched her career high of three blocks today.