LOS ANGELES – Despite double-figure scoring efforts from three of its starting guards, the Sun Devil women's basketball team fell to USC 64-49 on Friday.
Junior guards Tyi Skinner (14 points, two steals), Jaddan Simmons (12 points, five rebounds, two steals) and Treasure Hunt (10 points, team-high seven rebounds) combined for 36 of ASU's points.
The Sun Devils (7-13, 0-9 Pac-12) got off to a strong start with a Trayanna Crisp three-pointer, her sixth consecutive game with at least make from behind the arc. Crisp (five points) and Simmons (four points) combined for all but two of ASU's points in the opening quarter.
ASU capitalized on USC's mistakes early, scoring seven of its first nine points off turnovers. After trailing by as many as five in the opening frame, the Sun Devils came back to tie the score at 11-11 after Simmons' jumper with 1:10 remaining. A USC 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds gave the Trojans a 14-11 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Scoring continued to be a challenge for both teams in the second quarter. Neither team led by more than three points over the first five minutes. ASU trailed 21-20 after Kayla Mokwuah's basket with 5:07 remaining. Despite scoring only two more points the rest of the half, the Sun Devils were only down by three after Mokwuah's second field goal of the quarter with 49 seconds left.
Putting her in the spin cycle right before half ????
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) February 4, 2023
?? Pac-12 Arizona#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/RjPzOSSLe6
The Trojans responded with a basket on their ensuing possession giving them a 27-22 lead at the break.
USC (17-5, 7-4) started the second half with a 6-0 run and eventually led by as many as 17 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. The Sun Devils fought back with the game's next nine points to trim USC's lead to 41-33 after Skinner's layup with 17 seconds remaining. Again, USC scored the last basket of the quarter, hitting a triple at the buzzer to take a 44-33 lead into the final 10 minutes.
The Sun Devils finished strong, shooting 6-of-14 in the fourth quarter but were not able to get back within single digits.
Notables
Imogen Greenslade made her first appearance since Dec. 4, recording two rebounds, two blocks and a steal
Jaddan Simmons' 10th game with five or more rebounds
Treasure Hunt's 14th game with five or more rebounds
Tyi Skinner registered double-digit points for the 18th time in 20 games this season
ASU forced double-digit turnovers for the 17th time in 20 games this season
ASU had 10 or fewer turnovers for the seventh time this season
Up Next
The Sun Devils wrap up their trip to Los Angeles at No. 14 UCLA on Sunday (1 p.m. MST). The game can be seen on Pac-12 Los Angeles and heard on KDUS AM 1060.