USC's 9-0 Run in Fourth Quarter Propels Trojans to Quarter Finals.
LAS VEGAS, NEV— The 7th seeded USC Trojans snatched a win from the 10th seeded Colorado Buffaloes. This is the second time in five days that the Trojans have won against the Buffs. With a strong shooting performance from USC, Colorado’s Pac-12 Tournament run came to an end in a 69-54 loss.
Colorado Freshman Jaylyn Sherrod kicked off the first quarter with a quick jumper to put the Buffs on the board first but the Trojans would be the ones to take the lead. Colorado committed two important turnovers allowing USC to run with the lead, 5-2.
The Buffs went 4-for-12 in the first quarter, coupled with the Trojans shooting 61.5%, a season-high, resulted in an 8-0 run by USC. The Trojans built their largest lead in the first half,16-6.
During the second quarter is was still anyone's game. A huge 3-pointer from Buff Mya Hollingshed helped Colorado close in on USC’s lead making it a 4 point game and picking up the Buffs’ offense. Another 3-point shot from Buff Aubrey Knight would eventually close the gap, putting the score at 26 a piece. The rest of the quarter, the score continued to shift between the teams, and the half finished with a tied score of 32-32.
But Colorado’s momentum did not last long, as they opened the second half missing five straight shots, handing USC a 4 point lead. A 3-point basket from Colorado’s Quinessa Caylao-Do put the Buffs back up, 39-38. Back-to-back threes by USC ended the back-and-forth battle for good, giving the Trojans 49-46 lead entering the fourth.
“Four quarters has definitely been our bugaboo,” said Colorado Head Coach JR Payne. “To be able to be consistent enough for four quarters, I chuckle when you say that because we have had so many close games against top ten teams and good teams like USC.”
USC’s Alissa Pili, the Pac-12 Freshman of Year, sank a crucial 3-pointer, providing the Trojans the offensive burst they needed. Pili ended the game with 22 points. With a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter USC turned a competitive game into a rout 69-54.
“I really didn't know what to expect when I came in, like performance-wise,” said Pili. “I knew I had high expectations for myself. You know, I just came in with the mind set of I'm just going to work hard and earn my spot, do what the coaches ask me to do and help out the team in every way I can.”
NEXT UP:
Colorado’s Pac-12 tournament run is over and will not make NCAA postseason play but will wait for the announcement of the WNIT field on Monday, March 16. USC will face off against their cross-town rival UCLA in the Pac-12 quarterfinals, March 6 at 6 p.m. in Las Vegas.
