Lady Devils Fall to Women of Troy in LA
Final: USC 70, ASU 65
The Devils did their best to come back, but USC just could not miss, especially from long-range, and the Devils were unable to overcome the Trojans' 23-4 first-half run, after which the Devils never led. ASU put four players in double figures, led by Danielle Orsillo's 17 points and 7 rebounds. Lauren Lacey added 14, Briann January 13 and Kayli Murphy 12. On the USC side, Camille LeNoir led the way with 18, followed closely by Heather Oliver with 17 and Brynn Cameron with 10. ASU out-rebounded USC by 7 but the 30 points from the perimeter to ASU's 9 was just too much to make up for.
Keep it here for updates from tonight's Men's Semifinal as your Devils take on the Washington Huskies for a spot in the Men's Final tomorrow at Staples Center. Tonight's tip is scheduled for 6 PM.
Fourth Media Timeout: USC 66, ASU 60
Devils got as close as 3 points on a Briann January jumper, but USC answered with their tenth 3-pointer of the game to regain the six-point lead. USC misses a jumper and the scramble for possession of the rebound results in a jump-ball, with the arrow pointing the Sun Devils' way. This game is still within reach, but the Devils will need to play virtually flawlessly the rest of the way. They need to get to the line and score some points with the clock stopped, and they MUST deny USC the three-point line.
Third Media Timeout: USC 58, ASU 52
The threes just keep falling for USC, and even with ASU getting layups, you can't trade 2s for 3s and expect to win, unless you can make the 3s stop falling. The Women of Troy have made 8 three-pointers to ASU's two. On the bright side, the Devils are now in the bonus the rest of the way after Briann January draws a foul and sinks a pair. A circus shot layup by Danielle Orsillo cut the lead to six just before the break; now they need to deny USC the open three point looks and keep scoring inside.
Second Media Timeout: USC 50, ASU 43
Devils are still struggling to string together stops and scores, but they're still in this game. Briann January just came up with a steal and got fouled, giving USC 5 team fouls already in this one. If the Devils can force the issue and draw a few more fouls they can get back into this one at the charity stripe. Defense is still an issue, with USC shooting 54% for the game, and 46% from long-range. Camille LeNoir has re-entered the game after getting a quick breather.
First Media Timeout: USC 46, ASU 37
USC came out for the second half right where they we in the middle of the first: scoring seemingly at will against ASU's usually stout defense. For the game USC is hitting 54.5% of their shots. The Devils have hit some shots, but not enough to make up for the shaky defense they've been playing. This wouldn't look good to the selection committee, who could quickly forget ASU's big win over Cal last week. One bright spot so far is Lauren Lacey, who has 14 points to put her in double figures for the first time since she had 19 in Oregon in January.
Halftime: USC 34, ASU 28
Devils started well, up 7-2 early, before USC went on a 23-4 run to take a 25-11 lead before the Devils started chipping away, eventually scoring the last six point of the half to pull within six at the break. Second half updates start with the first media timeout.
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last updated on 09.03.13 at 12:47 PM