USC Women’s Basketball Can’t Catch Colorado In 67-54 Loss At Galen Center

LOS ANGELES — The USC women's basketball team fell out of step with visiting Colorado and took a 67-54 loss to the Buffaloes in the Trojans' final home game of the season. USC goes to 11-14 overall and to 4-11 in Pac-12 play with the loss, while Colorado improves to 18-7, 7-7 with one week left of regular-season action.

 Colorado landed five first-half 3-pointers and benefited from a slower scoring pace by the Trojans as the Buffs led it 35-27 at halftime. Colorado was shooting at a 46.4-percent clip in those first 20 minutes, while USC was a 29.4 percent. Both teams largely stayed the course the rest of the way, with Colorado finishing at 47.1 percent while hating seven threes in the game. USC wrapped at 30.2 percent from the floor with just one 3-pointer landed, although the Trojans were a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line. The Buffs ended up a step ahead on the boards 36-35.

Both Rayah Marshall and Jordyn Jenkins extended their respective double-digit streaks, with Marshall coming away with a double-double on her 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jenkins, meanwhile, finished with 12 points for her ninth straight double-figure effort. Colorado was led by Mya Hollingshed's game-high 16 points along with  13 from Quay Miller, who was one of five Buffs to hit a three today.

It was a battle out of the gates as USC and Colorado stayed largely in stride. USC edged ahead early 6-3 on scores from Jordyn Jenkins and Rayah Marshall before Colorado found its touch from distance. A Buffalo 3-pointer pulled Colorado ahead 9-8 at 5:15 and then back-to-back Buff blasts from beyond the arc turned a 12-11 USC lead into a 17-12 Colorado advantage with 1:30 on the clock. USC's offense would stall out after Jenkins provided her eighth points of the frame at 3:30, and Colorado gripped a 19-12 lead after 10 minutes of action. USC carved the deficit down to five as Jenkins and Marshall kept clicking, but Colorado landed another three and then followed it with a bucket in the paint to go up 28-18 at 4:59. Undeterred, Marshall landed a pair of free throws and then Jordan Sanders nailed the Trojans' first 3-pointer of the game to get it to 28-23. Another CU three fell next, and the Buffs would hold a 35-27 lead by halftime.

As USC's Marshall worked her way into another double-double, the Trojans were within seven at 44-37 before the Buffs expanded their lead to 49-37 with 2:00 to go in the third. Colorado would get four more points on the board before the close of the quarter, and the Buffs were up 54-38 entering the fourth. USC would answer a 6-0 Colorado surge with an 8-0 rally that featured five points from Tera Reed to make the score 64-52 Buffs entering the final two minutes. A seventh Colorado three would fall in the last minute before Clarice Akunwafo knocked down two free throws, and the final score was a 67-54 Buffalo victory.

NOTABLE:
- FR Rayah Marshall made her first career start today.
- With four blocks today, Marshall extended her run of games with at least one block to 20 straight. 
- With 13 points, Marshall scored in double digits for the ninth straight game. 
- With 11 rebounds, Marshall recorded her second straight double-double (fifth of her career).
- With 12 points today, SO Jordyn Jenkins has scored in double digits in 16 straight games.

NEXT:
USC now turns to its final Pac-12 regular-season action of the season, heading to visit Arizona State at 4 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 24) in Tempe before an 11 a.m. clash at Arizona on Saturday (Feb. 26) in Tucson.