USC Women's Basketball Gets Back To Galen, Hosts No. 10 Arizona & ASU

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USC (6-7, 4-6) vs. #10 Arizona (11-2, 9-2)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, Jan. 29 | 4 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads 58-27 (L5)
Last Meeting: L 78-77 [12/6/20 • Tucson]
TV: Pac-12 Network
STREAM | STATS 

USC vs. Arizona State (8-4, 4-4)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Sunday, Jan. 31 | 1 p.m. PT
Series Record: USC leads 56-28 (L4)
Last Meeting: L 63-58 [12/4/20 • Tempe]
STREAM | STATS

THIS WEEK         
USC is back on home turf this week to carry on in Pac-12 action. The Trojans (6-7, 4-6 Pac-12) will first host No. 10 Arizona (11-2,  9-2) in a 4 p.m. clash on Friday (Jan. 29) at Galen Center. That game will be televised on Pac-12 Network with Anne Marie Anderson and Mary Murphy on the call. On Sunday (Jan. 31), USC wraps the month with a faceoff against Arizona State (8-4, 4-4) at 1 p .m. That one will be streamed at pac-12.com/live/usc with Carlo Jiménez announcing.

IN THE NATION        
USC is unranked in this week's AP and Coaches polls. As of Jan. 25, USC is No. 64 in the NET rankings.

SCOUTING ARIZONA        
The No. 10 Wildcats are 11-2 overall and 9-2 in Pac-12 play after beating Utah 66-54 last week. Aari McDonald leads Arizona in scoring with 18.8 points per game, and Cate Reese leads on the boards with 6.0 rebounds per game. In a series dating back to 1977-78, USC is 58-27 all-time against Arizona with losses in the last five meetings. In the most recent meeting, USC lost 78-77 to Arizona in Tucson last month. Last year, USC lost to the Wildcats 65-57 at Galen Center and the fell 73-57 in Tucson. The Trojans' last win over Arizona was a 78-52 victory at Galen Center in the 2017-18 season.

SCOUTING ASU        
The Sun Devils are 8-4 overall and 4-4 in Pac-12 play after beating Colorado 51-47 and falling to Utah  65-51 last week. Taya Hanson is leading ASU in scoring with 12.6 points per game, and Eboni Walker leads on the boards with 6.9 rebounds per game. In a series dating back to 1977-78, USC is 57-28 all-time against ASU with losses in the last four meetings. In the most recent meeting, USC lost 63-58 to ASU in Tempe last month. Last year, USC lost to the Sun Devils 63-54 at Galen Center and the fell 76-75 in triple overtime in Tempe. The Trojans' last win over ASU was a 77-62 victory at Galen Center in the 2017-18 season.

LAST ACTION        
USC saw No. 5 Stanford shoot 50 percent, nail 10 threes and dominate the boards as the Trojans' early lead fell away at the hands of the Cardinal, which claimed a final 86-59 win over USC in Santa Cruz. Stanford nailed six first-half 3-pointers to turn a tight first frame into a 15-point Cardinal lead by halftime. The hosts shot 53 percent from the field in those first 20 minutes, while USC was at 36 percent with just a single 3-pointer landed as the Trojans trailed Stanford 45-30 at the break. Four more threes would fall for the Cardinal in the second half while it also continued ownership of the boards, finishing out the game with a 53-22 rebounding advantage. Stanford wrapped up at 50 percent from the floor while USC took a step forward to a final 38 percent, which wasn't enough to get the Trojans back within reach of the Cardinal. USC had three players finish in double figures, led by Endyia Rogers' game-high 19 points and 12 apiece from Jordan Sanders and Angel Jackson. Stanford got 18 points from Haley Jones, with Kiana Williams adding 16 and 12 each from Lexie Hull and Fran Belibi.
NOTABLE:
- SR F Jordan Sanders scored in double digits for the 10th game this season.
- SO C Angel Jackson tied her career high of four steals
- Jackson scored in double digits for thee seventh time this season.
- SO G Endyia Rogers scored in double digits for the ninth straight game.

INJURY REPORT        
USC now has just one player who has been sidelined since the start of this season in Alyson Miura (knee). Shalexxus Aaron (ankle) got her first minutes on Jan. 17 vs. UC Riverside for her first game action since the end of the  2018-19 season. On Jan. 15 vs. WSU, Alissa Pili (ankle) returned to action after 10 games on the sidelines. Zayla Tinner (foot) missed the first three games, making her USC debut on Dec. 13 vs. UCLA. Jordyn Jenkins (knee) missed the first eight games and made her USC debut on Jan. 8 vs. Utah. Madison Campbell has missed the last four games with injury (knee) but is expected to return.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE        
As a tumultuous 2020 came to a close, the USC women's basketball team had shown its resilience and resolve in ringing up a shining academic performance in the fall semester. For the first time in at least 10 years, the team has cracked the 3.0 GPA barrier in amassing a 3.01 team cumulative GPA. The notable academic achievement was truly a team effort, with seven Women of Troy finishing the fall with a term GPA of at least 3.0. Among that group, Alissa Pili and Kyra White earned their highest term grades and GPAs of their academic careers. Joining those two in the over-3.0 GPA territory are Shalexxus Aaron, Alyson Miura, Amaya Oliver, India Otto and Jordan Sanders. Shining brightest among the Trojans' academic all-stars is Miura, who leads the pack with a perfect 4.0 semester GPA. Oliver, Otto and White all banked GPAs of 3.5 or better while taking at least 12 units of letter-graded courses, with Oliver shouldering a hefty courseload of 18 units in her first semester as a Trojan. 

SANDERS MAKES A SPLASH        
The Pac-12 Conference leader in 3-point percentage, Jordan Sanders led USC in scoring in back-to-back Trojan victories last week and was selected as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Dec. 28. The grad transfer set new USC scoring highs for herself with 22 points against Cal and 23 versus Long Beach State, while also hitting a career-high five 3-pointers in USC's first Pac-12 win of the season. Sanders followed up her impressive 22-point outing against the Golden Bears — where she was 5-of-7 from 3-point land — with the forward's first career start as a Trojan when USC squared off against the Beach. She would haul in her highest rebound count as a Trojan with eight boards to go along with her season-high 23 points in USC's 71-65 win. Sanders landed two more threes in that game, finishing her week's work averaging 70 percent from beyond the arc. That bumped her season average to 68.2 percent, keeping her solidly atop the Pac-12 leaderboard in 3-point percentage while also lifting her to fifth overall in the nation. Sanders is the first Trojan to earn the honor since Kristen Simon on Dec. 5, 2016. Also on Dec. 28, Sanders was selected as College Sports Madness' Pac-12 Player of the Week. Sanders currently stands as the nation's top 3-point shooter with her 66.7 percent efficiency.

EXPECT EXPERIENCE         
The only true senior on the USC roster this season is grad transfer Jordan Sanders, who has joined the Trojans from UC Irvine. Sanders' presence gives USC its second conference freshman of the year, as Sanders was the Big West's 2018 top freshman while USC's Alissa Pili picked up the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award last season. Pili and fellow sophomore Endyia Rogers are a proven one-two punch for USC, as the pair were the Trojans' top scorers in 2019-20. Pili and sophomore Angel Jackson packed the paint for the Trojans as freshmen, while sophomore sharpshooters Alyson Miura and India Otto were significant three-point threats, and Kyra White stood tall as a staunch defender and playmaker. That group got great experience as freshmen, making for a shiny sophomore campaign ahead. USC's "veterans" this year are junior Desiree Caldwell and redshirt sophomore Shalexxus Aaron — both captains alongside Pili this season.

NEW CREW        
USC's roster boasts five fresh-faced Trojans making their USC debuts in 2020-21. Jordan Sanders, as mentioned, spent three years at UC Irvine, joining true freshmen Jordyn Jenkins, Amaya Oliver and Zayla Tinner for their first seasons in Cardinal and Gold. Also tabbed for action this season is redshirt freshman Madison Campbell, who is coming off a redshirt season following back surgery last year.

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS        
Sophomore strength abounds for the USC women's basketball team this season, with Alissa Pili and Endyia Rogers at the forefront of the Trojans' youth movement. As the 2020-21 campaign drew near, Pili upgraded her national acclaim with a spot on the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List — recognized as one of the nation's top 50 players in line for the highest collegiate honor bestowed by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Also Pili and Rogers both picked up spots on the Pac-12 preseason honor roll. The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and an All-Pac-12 Team honoree last season, Pili finished her debut year ranked in the nation's top-100 in five statistical categories. Already on the 2021 Watch List for the Katrina McClain Award as one of the top 20 small forwards in the land, Pili's placement on the Naismith Trophy Watch List further cements her as the Trojans' top gun and a player to keep a close eye on as her career continues to blossom. Pili's power has been well-known in the Pac-12 conference, and as her sophomore year unfurls the Trojan post has earned her place on the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team. Fellow sophomore Rogers — USC's second leading scorer and top 3-point shooter last year — picked up Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

VOTE ON        
Amidst a tumultuous summer, the USC women's basketball team found a powerful way to set a course for themselves away from the gym. All 13 Women of Troy registered to vote, marking an important benchmark for the program as the 2020 elections approach. What's more, their action helped spark a department-wide initiative that was embraced by USC Athletics' Black Lives Matter Action Team to challenge every USC team to reach 100 percent registration for eligible U.S. voters. Thanks to their 2020 registration, USC women's basketball was able to have a voice in elections in five different states — Alaska, California, Oregon, Texas and Washington — in the 2020 elections and beyond. 

TRANSFER TIME        
USC gets another boost in the backcourt with the addition of transfer Shemera Williams, head coach Mark Trakh has announced. After a season played at Virginia, Williams is on her way to Troy to become a Trojan this spring 2021. The state of Wisconsin's second leading scorer in girls high school basketball history with 3,120 career points, the Milwaukee Academy of Science product went on to average 8.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in her freshman campaign with the Cavaliers. A 5-8 guard, Williams was Virginia's third leading scorer as a freshman in 2019-20 and was a two-time ACC Freshman of the Week while also picking up national honors as a USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman Player of the Week. Williams has joined the USC roster as of January  2021, with her eligibility for competition pending NCAA transfer rules.

SIGNED!        
USC welcomes a pair of powerful local products who combine forces as the nation's No. 7-ranked recruiting class according to ESPN. The No. 2-ranked center in the country, Clarice Uche Akunwafo comes to Troy from nearby Inglewood, Calif. ESPN's No. 27-ranked player in the land, guard/forward Rayah Marshall is a Los Angeles native. Both new Trojans signed their national letters of intent on  Nov. 11. Both Akunwafo and Marshall also were recently named to the Watch List for the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for High School Girls Player of the Year. A 6-6- center, Clarice Uche Akunwafo averaged 20.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game at Rolling Hills Prep. The Inglewood native also shot 56 percent from the floor and is a two-time All-CIF honoree. Her power at the post has earned her the nod as the No. 2 center in the nation and No. 21 player overall, according to ESPN. A Los Angeleno and another All-CIF regular, Rayah Marshall ranks No. 27 in the nation among this class of prospects. The 6-4 guard/forward hails from nearby Lynwood High, where she averaged 18.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.4 steals per game.

LAST SEASON        
USC's postseason plans of a 2020 WNIT run were dashed back in March with the cancellation of all competition due to the pandemic. That left the Trojans with a 17-14 overall record, having reached the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 7 seed. USC's top scorer and rebounder, Alissa Pili was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, earning a spot on the All-Pac-12 Team. Fellow freshman Endyia Rogers picked up All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention after standing as USC's second leading scorer. USC lost three seniors from that roster in Aliyah Jeune, Kayla Overbeck and Stephanie Watts. •