by SALT LAKE CITY — The USC women’s basketball team hit a season-high nine 3-pointers and fought through 14 lead changes, but it was Utah’s hotter hands that prevailed as the Utes nailed 11 threes to eke out a 67-65 win over the visiting Trojans today in Salt Lake City. USC was up by five with 4:30 to go before Utah landed three 3-pointers in the next couple minutes to take the lead and fend off the Trojans. USC goes to 8-8 overall and to 0-5 in Pac-12 play with the road loss, while Utah improves to 8-8, 1-4.
The lead traded hands six times in the first half as each team planted five 3-pointers apiece. Desiree Caldwell had a new career high in place by halftime with her four 3-pointers, and USC was shooting 38.7 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point land through the first 20 minutes. Utah was hitting at 37.9 percent overall and 38.5 from beyond the arc. The threes continued to fall in the next half, although Utah proved the hotter hand in the end. USC would wrap the game shooting 37.1 percent overall and 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from 3-point range. Utah won out on the board 40-37 and finished up at 37.5 percent overall while going 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from 3-point land.
USC had five Trojans score in double digits for the first time this season. Alissa Pili (Inupiaq) pumped in 16 points and added eight rebounds to lead USC. Desiree Caldwell had 14 points along with a career-high four 3-pointers made, while Kayla Overbeck added 12 points and Aliyah Jeune and Endyia Rogers had 10 points apiece for the Trojans. Six Utes hit 3-pointers in the game, with Daneesha Provo leading with three made on the way to a game-high 17 points. Kemery Martín added 12 for Utah.
A 3-pointer from Endyia Rogers gave USC a spark, and then tough defense from the Trojans helped anchor a 6-0 rally that saw Alissa Pili provide four points along the way. Desiree Caldwell capped it with a bucket that got USC ahead 14-9 entering the final three minutes of the first. A Utah 3-pointer would tie it up, and then the Utes had the last word to edge ahead 16-15 at the end of the first. The second frame was a game of swings as well, and featured three 3-pointers apiece for the Utes and Trojans. Caldwell planted all three for the Trojans to set a new career high for herself and carry USC along on what would amount to a 14-0 USC that built out a 31-25 lead with 2:50 to go in the first half. Utah fired right back, though, and scored eight straight points with two more threes falling in that run to edge back ahead, and Utah would lead it 34-33 after answering a Pili equalizer with a single free throw to go up 34-33 at halftime.
The threes kept coming in the third — three apiece this time — with USC’s Aliyah Jeune and Alissa Pili joining the 3-point party. Pili’s long-range strike took the Trojans ahead 46-42 with 4:45 on the clock, but Utah bit back with back-to-back threes to get back on top again. USC would trail it 54-50 entering the fourth. USC tightened up its defense in the next stretch, holding Utah to just a trip to the free-throw line while USC poured on another three and got some power work down low from Pili and Overbeck to go back on top. Overbeck held her ground from the stripe as well, getting into double digits herself while taking USC ahead 61-56 with 4:30 left. Utah woke up for the next couple minutes, landing three more 3-pointers around an Overbeck bucket, and the Utes got up again with a 65-63 advantage with 2:20 to go. That advantage would stand through to the final minute, when Utah got to the line and landed two more free throws to go up 67-63 with 41 seconds on the clock. Pili planted two free throws at 38 seconds to make it a two-point game. USC’s defense forced a shot clock violation by the Utes next and called timeout to set up with 7 seconds left. Off the inbounds, USC got into the lane, but the attempt at an equalizer was no good and time ran out on the Trojans’ hopes of force OT as Utah escaped with a 67-65 victory.
