Cassie Harberts held up one finger, asking back in the game. USC was already up nearly 30 points and Harberts had already scored points herself, but she wanted one last opportunity to get in the game and try to get a new career high.
Head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke obliged the request and gave Harberts another minute on the floor. Harberts got fouled and sent to the line and Cooper-Dyke said that was Harberts' chance to set a new career high before being subbed out for the final time.
Harberts missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity and didn't get another shot.
It was about the only thing that didn't go the Women of Troy's way on Sunday afternoon at the Galen Center. The Trojans (13-6) dominated Oregon, 109-85, to improve to 6-1 in Pac-12 play setting up a big road trip at Cal and Stanford this upcoming weekend.
Led by Harberts' 30, USC had 12 players get on the scoreboard with five scoring double digits.
Jillian Alleyne led the Ducks (9-8, 0-6) with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Chrishae Rowe scored 19.
USC 109, Oregon 85
The Good:
- Kaneisha Horn showed a sweet stroke, knocking down four midrange jumpers. She finished with 10 points (on 4-of-6 shooting) -- her first time in double figures while wearing a USC uniform.
Walk-ons Rachel Totten and Maria Kemiji-McDonald both got into the game with more than five minutes remaining. Totten missed her only attempt, but Kemiji-McDonald scored her first points in her first appearance as a USC Trojan.
The Women of Troy hit triple digits for the first time since November 2007 when they defeated Cal State Fullerton 104-77. The 109 points were the Trojans' highest offensive output since 1982.
The Bad:
- Sophomore reserve point guard Brianna Barrett has played heavy minutes recently, logging 26 or more each of the last five games, but she played only 15 minutes on Sunday. Cooper-Dyke said Barrett was moving the ball side to side against Oregon's pressure rather than pushing it North-South.
Barrett was 0-for-1 from the floor and finished with three assists and three turnovers, but just consider it a blip on the radar rather than a trend. She's been the Women of Troy's go-to ballhandler in important situations since Pac-12 play opened.
The Great:
- The Women of Troy made 20 of their 28 first-half shots (71.4 percent) and finished the game shooting 64.3 percent. The Trojans used Oregon's aggressive defense to its advantage with "aggressive patience," as Cooper-Dyke called it. USC often broke the Ducks' traps, got the ball in the middle of the floor and distributed for easy scores at the basket -- evidenced by the 62 points in the paint the Trojans scored.
Cassie Harberts was phenomenal. Though she may have finished one point shy of her career high, she produced probably her finest statistical performance. Harberts 30 points came on 13-of-19 shooting. She also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out a career-high six assists and had two steals.
Courtney Jaco also flirted with a new career high. After starting 5-for-5 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, Jaco's final shot attempt spun around the rim, hit off the backboard and fell out. She did everything Cooper-Dyke asked of her and then some. Jaco continues to make strides as she progresses through her freshman season.
Interviews:
USC head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke and junior Ariya Crook talk after the Trojans' 109-85 win over Oregon State at the Galen Center:
Notes:
- USC dominated the battle in the paint, 62-36.
- The USC bench outscored Oregon's bench, 51-20.
- Ariya Crook tied her career high with seven assists.
- The Women of Troy are now 8-1 when they have fewer turnovers than the opposition.
USC has now won eight of its last nine games. - The Trojans will take to the road this week when they play at Cal (12-4, 4-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
Highlights:
