In a game that saw four ties and nine lead changes, the Arizona women’s basketball team battled back from a 16-point deficit but ultimately fell 72-67 to USC at McKale Center on Saturday.
The Cats moved to 12-3 overall and 1-2 in Pac-12 play, while the Trojans moved to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in league action.
Junior guard Davellyn Whyte led all scorers with 23 points and collected
her third double-double of the season by pulling down 13 rebounds. She was 9 for 19 from the field, 1 for 4 from 3-point range and 4 for 4 from
the charity stripe. In 38 minutes of play, she also had four assists and
two steals.
Sophomore forward Erica Barnes (17) and senior guard Reiko Thomas (16) also contributed double-digit scoring efforts. Barnes added eight rebounds
and three assists in 31 minutes of play, while Thomas was 4 for 4 from behind
the arc and recorded four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 39
minutes.
“This was a tough one, but we battled back,” head coach Niya Butts said. “We had a stretch we’re not proud of. There were good moments, we just ran out of time. Davellyn Whyte gave a great effort. We weren’t rebounding well, but she was a monster on the boards. I’m proud of the group.”
USC and Arizona were even in turnovers (11) and second-chance points (11), but the Trojans outrebounded the Wildcats 43-39 and had 14 offensive boards. UA shot 38.1 percent from the field (24 for 63), 29.4 percent from 3-point range (5 for 17) and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line (14 for 18).
Arizona’s starting five included senior guard Shanita Arnold, Barnes, freshman center Aley Rohde, Thomas and Whyte. Junior forward Cheshi Poston had the most minutes off the bench with 20 and finished with two points, three rebounds and one steal.
For USC, senior Briana Gilbreath was the leading scorer with 17 points. She also had nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. USC had five players score in double digits and shot 38.3 percent from the field (23 for 60), 25 percent from 3-point range (5 for 20) and 75 percent from the free-throw line (21 for 28).
