As far as rivalry games go, it wasn't exactly the most glamorous of contests.
In the first UCLA-USC get-together of the season, it was more clanked shots and hands in faces than swished jumpers and swift ball movement. And while it was a far cry from an offensive showcase, it was the Trojans who converted and got the key buckets down the stretch, slipping by the Bruins 47-43 at the John Wooden Center. The takeaways from the game:
SC's Defensive Scheme
After the game, USC coach Michael Cooper made it known that the collective plan was to shut down the Bruins' top three scorers in Thea Lemberger, Markel Walker, and Rebekah Gardner. Clearly, Cooper and his team made their mark, the trio shooting a collective 10-for-40 from the field.
"We shut down the players that we wanted to," Cooper said. "Rebekah was the only one that got away, but Markel and Thea were two of the ones we knew we had to at least keep below their averages."
While Gardner was able to find her way to the basket with a game-high 20 points, not having those other offensive options hurt the Bruins in the waning minutes of the game when victory was still within reach.
Battle of the Guards
Defense is a specialty for Mariah Williams, and she drew a challenging assignment in having to go up against Ashley Corral, USC's all-time 3-point leader. The Trojans' senior guard ended the day shooting just 3-of-12, but did some damage with eight assists.
"I enjoy guarding her," Williams said. "It was tough when they started doing the high-ball screens; she did a really good job of going shoulder to shoulder with her screener and made some things happen as a result."
Williams herself was a pleasant surprise for the Bruins on the offensive end, all eight of her points coming on jumpers. In fact, the junior guard scored the Bruins' first six points of the game on three consecutive jump shots, and would score another one late in the second half.
"Mariah played really steady and did a great job for us today," Close said. "The reality is that they were playing off of her, so we wanted to set a set play, knowing they were double-teaming off of her."
The Two-Minute Stretch
Heading into the final timeout of the game at the 2:27 mark, the Bruins were still only down 43-40 and got as close as 44-43 after Williams sunk her fourth jumper with 23 seconds left. But even taking into consideration a not-so-stellar offense from either team, it was the Bruins' struggle with getting second-chance looks that eventually decided the outcome.
"USC played really good defense and tried to make us play to our weaknesses, and we did the same to them," Close said. "The difference was, when they played to their weakness and missed a shot, they went and got another one, and we weren't able to. Both teams forced the first shot they wanted to force, and so it really came down to the focus on rebounding."
In the first UCLA-USC get-together of the season, it was more clanked shots and hands in faces than swished jumpers and swift ball movement. And while it was a far cry from an offensive showcase, it was the Trojans who converted and got the key buckets down the stretch, slipping by the Bruins 47-43 at the John Wooden Center. The takeaways from the game:
SC's Defensive Scheme
After the game, USC coach Michael Cooper made it known that the collective plan was to shut down the Bruins' top three scorers in Thea Lemberger, Markel Walker, and Rebekah Gardner. Clearly, Cooper and his team made their mark, the trio shooting a collective 10-for-40 from the field.
"We shut down the players that we wanted to," Cooper said. "Rebekah was the only one that got away, but Markel and Thea were two of the ones we knew we had to at least keep below their averages."
While Gardner was able to find her way to the basket with a game-high 20 points, not having those other offensive options hurt the Bruins in the waning minutes of the game when victory was still within reach.
Battle of the Guards
Defense is a specialty for Mariah Williams, and she drew a challenging assignment in having to go up against Ashley Corral, USC's all-time 3-point leader. The Trojans' senior guard ended the day shooting just 3-of-12, but did some damage with eight assists.
"I enjoy guarding her," Williams said. "It was tough when they started doing the high-ball screens; she did a really good job of going shoulder to shoulder with her screener and made some things happen as a result."
Williams herself was a pleasant surprise for the Bruins on the offensive end, all eight of her points coming on jumpers. In fact, the junior guard scored the Bruins' first six points of the game on three consecutive jump shots, and would score another one late in the second half.
"Mariah played really steady and did a great job for us today," Close said. "The reality is that they were playing off of her, so we wanted to set a set play, knowing they were double-teaming off of her."
The Two-Minute Stretch
Heading into the final timeout of the game at the 2:27 mark, the Bruins were still only down 43-40 and got as close as 44-43 after Williams sunk her fourth jumper with 23 seconds left. But even taking into consideration a not-so-stellar offense from either team, it was the Bruins' struggle with getting second-chance looks that eventually decided the outcome.
"USC played really good defense and tried to make us play to our weaknesses, and we did the same to them," Close said. "The difference was, when they played to their weakness and missed a shot, they went and got another one, and we weren't able to. Both teams forced the first shot they wanted to force, and so it really came down to the focus on rebounding."
