University of Oregon
11-5, 2-3
USC
11-4, 3-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 37 | 39 | 76 |
| USC | 30 | 49 | 79 |
Ducks Drop Nail-Biter At USC
01/14/11 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Another nail-biter between USC and Oregon turned in favor of the Trojans on Thursday night as Briana Gilbreath's jumper in the paint with seven seconds on the clock solidified USC's 79-76 victory at the Galen Center.
Gilbreath led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, and was assisted by guard Ashley Corral, who scored a runner in the lane with 57 seconds left to play as the Trojans took a 77-76 lead.
Oregon guard Nia Jackson was off the mark with a jumper following Corral's basket, and then missed a last-second lay-in on the Ducks final possession of the game.
Oregon is now 11-5 on the season and 2-3 in the Pac-10, while the Trojans improve to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in league.
Jackson, the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Week, scored a season-high 25 points and recorded the second double-double of her career with a career-high tying and game high 11 assists. She has now led the Ducks in scoring for four-straight games, and has reached the 20-point threshold for three consecutive games.
The Ducks tied a single-game record and knocked down a season-high 15 three-pointers in the game, shooting 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from long distance.
Oregon's most important trey came with 1:38 remaining as senior Victoria Kenyon drained her fifth long-distance basket of the game and gave Oregon a short-lived 76-75 advantage.
Before Kenyon's basket, Jackson had scored eight consecutive points for the Ducks. Kenyon's five 3-pointers were a career best as the native of Queensland, Australia added 15 points for Oregon.
Oregon junior guard Ashley Buis scored a career-high 16 points and added a career-best five 3-pointers for the Ducks.
Spurred by a four-point play from Buis, and a 3-pointer from Ariel Thomas, the Ducks embarked on a 9-0 run to take a 58-51 lead with 9:07 remaining, but USC quickly answered after back-to-back 3-pointers and closed to 58-57 less than a minute later.
USC took a 67-65 lead with 5:38 to play on a Gilbreath jumper, but Oregon regained the lead thanks to six straight points from Jackson, until USC's Cassie Harberts knocked down four straight free throws to give USC a 75-73 advantage with 1:46 remaining.
Harberts grabbed a career and game-high 18 rebounds, and scored 11 points for a double-double, as USC outrebounded the Ducks 56-42. The Trojans outscored Oregon 21-8 in second-chance points, finding their way to 23 offensive rebounds.
USC's Jacki Gemelos added 15 points off the bench, and grabbed six rebounds while blocking a game-high five shots.
Oregon built its first double-digit lead of the contest, 45-35, with 17:48 to play after Jackson and Kenyon knocked down buckets from long distance.
The Trojans erased Oregon's first double-digit lead of the game with a 12-0 run, holding the Ducks scoreless for 4:23 until Amanda Johnson knocked down two free throws with 13:35 left on the clock.
Oregon ended the first half on a 5-0 run to take a 37-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Ducks knocked down a season-best nine first-half 3-pointers, shooting 50.0 percent (9-of-18) from the 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
Oregon was led by Kenyon and Buis, who scored nine points apiece, knocking down three 3-pointers each, while Jackson tallied eight first-half assists and Holliday found her way to seven first-half rebounds.
UO scored 15 fast-break points as both teams committed 13 turnovers apiece.
The Ducks shot 33.3 percent (12-of-36) from the floor, while USC was colder shooting just 28.9 percent (11-of-38).
Oregon opened the first half with a 9-2 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Buis and one from Johnson.
The Ducks built a 19-11 lead with 13:45 to play in the first after Fallin drained a bucket from behind the arc, but an 11-2 run put USC on top, 22-21 with 8:28 remaining in the first.
Oregon returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Pauley Pavilion to take on 9th-ranked UCLA.
The Ducks last win over a top-10 team on the road was Jan. 29, 2000, a 67-58 victory at then-No. 10 UCLA.
The game is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports Net with Jim Watson, Mary Murphy and Lisa Leslie following the action.
Notes: Oregon tied a program single-game record and knocked down a season-best 15 three-pointers…for the first time this season, Oregon lost after leading at the half…Nia Jackson is currently on a 17-game double-figure scoring streak dating back to last season…the last Oregon women's player with double-figure scoring in at least 17 straight games was Shaquala Williams between January 4 and March 3, 2002…no player has reached a double figure scoring streak in 18 straight games dating back to the 1999-2000 season…Jackson also recorded the second double-double of her career with a season-high 25 points and career-high tying 11 assists …Jackson has also led the UO in scoring for four consecutive contests, and recorded three straight 20-point contests…Jackson has now recorded five 20-point games this season (seven career)…Ashley Buis scored a career-high 16 points and knocked down a season-best five 3-pointers…Jasmin Holliday recorded her third double-figure rebounding game of the season (sixth career), and led the Ducks in rebounding for the fifth time this season and for the third straight game with 11 boards…Ashley Buis completed the first four-point play of the season for Oregon, knocking down a 3-pointer on the baseline despite the foul, and hitting the free-throw, regaining a 51-49 lead for UO with 11:27 to play…senior Nicole Canepa is expected to play in her 100th game for Oregon on Saturday at UCLA…the last three games between USC and Oregon have been decided by eight points or least as the Trojans hold a 2-1 advantage.
