USC Women's Basketball Fights Back To Beat Washington 63-54 In Seattle

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SEATTLE, WASH — The USC women's basketball team shrugged off a slow first half in Seattle and pieced together a road comeback win with a powerful fourth-quarter push to beat host Washington 63-54 tonight. The Trojans outscored the Huskies 24-14 in the fourth to anchor the push to a Pac-12 road win for USC. The Trojans improve to 8-7 overall and to 6-6 in Pac-12 play with the victory, while Washington goes to 4-8, 1-9.

It was a slow start for both teams on the offensive ends as the Trojans were shooting just 23 percent from the floor to sit just behind Washington's 25 percent. The Huskies held a 22-18 lead at the break with USC's Alissa Pili scoring over half USC's points with 10 in the first 20 minutes. USC had gone just 1-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half, while Washington was at 3-of-10 — better from the beyond the arc than from the floor overall to help get the hosts the lead by halftime. In the second half, USC heated up from the floor and the free-throw line, shooting 46 percent from the floor and hitting 16-of-18 free throws to get back on track. Both the Trojans and the Huskies finished the game shooting 35 percent each. Washington hit seven threes to four from the Trojans, while USC went 21-of-24 from the stripe to UW's 9-of-15 outing. The Huskies won out on the board 38-33 but committed 18 turnovers to USC's 11.

The Trojans had three players finish in double figures, led by Alissa Pili's 17 points. Desiree Caldwell delivered 16 points — all in the second half — and was a perfect 8-for-8 on free throws, while Endyia Rogers added 12 points and Jordyn Jenkins pulled down nine rebounds. Washington received a game-high 20 points from Haley Van Dyke and 17 from Alexis Griggsby.

USC was off the mark from 3-point land in the first frame, but the Trojans got it done in other ways in piecing together six straight points to take an 8-7 lead after 10 minutes of action. USC hit another cold snap and saw the Huskies take advantage and move back ahead. Endyia Rogers nailed USC's first three of the night to get the Trojans a boost and cut Washington's lead to 14-12 at the five-minute mark. Alissa Pili's 10th points of the night tugged the Trojans within one entering the final minute of the half, but Washington landed a late 3-pointer to make it a 22-18 Husky advantage for halftime.

Threes began to fall for the Trojans in the third, but the Huskies went one better. USC's Desiree Caldwell landed a pair only to see Washington hit a trio, and the Huskies held a 36-29 advantage five minutes into the second half. Staring down a seven-point deficit, the Trojans found a spark when local product Jordyn Jenkins delivered down low to set light to an 8-0 USC rally that featured two fine finishes in the paint from Rogers. After USC worked into that one-point advantage, though, the lead would trade hands for the final three minutes, and Washington had a 40-39 edge entering the fourth. After yet another Husky 3-pointer had USC in a four-point hole once again, Pili struck and Kyra White nailed a huge 3-pointer for the Trojans to steal back into the lead, up 46-45 at 6:12. Washington got two free throws to go next, but the Trojans mounted a 7-0 surge highlighted by a three-point play from Shalexxus Aaron. That rally took the Trojans ahead 53-47 with 1:58 to go for their biggest lead of the night. In the final 1:36, USC's Caldwell and Rogers went a combined 10-for-10 from the free-throw line to keep the Trojans out of reach of the Huskies en route to the final 63-54 victory 

NOTABLE:
- SO F Alissa Pili scored in double digits for the first time in her five appearances this season 
- SO G Alyson Miura saw playing time for the first time this season in her return from knee surgery. 
- JR G Desiree Caldwell scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.
- FR F Jordyn Jenkins matched her career-high of nine rebounds .
- SO G Endyia Rogers scored in double digits for the 11th straight game.

NEXT: 
USC now heads to Pullman to face Washington State at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 7).