March 10, 2011 in Sports

Trojans’ inside game ends WSU’s season at Pac-10 women’s tourney

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LOS ANGELES – Less than a week ago, the USC Trojans handed Washington State’s women a Pac-10 Conference defeat at the Galen Center by dominating inside and getting to the free-throw line.

It worked once, so why not go back to the well?

In a win-or-go-home, Pac-10 tournament first-round game at the same site Wednesday, USC (19-11) attacked the Cougars relentlessly around the rim, pounding its way to a 78-66 victory and ending WSU’s season at 8-23.

“With the lineup change, they certainly went inside a lot more than the first time we played them six days ago,” Washington State coach June Daugherty said.

The lineup change concerned USC point guard, and All-Pac-10 first-team selection, Ashley Corral. The junior from Vancouver, Wash., was serving a two-game, violation-of-team-rules suspension instituted after the Trojans’ 74-67 win over WSU last Thursday.

Without Corral the Trojans’ rotation was thin, with only seven playing. But 6-foot-2 freshman Cassie Harberts (a career-high 31 points and 14 rebounds) and 6-5 senior Kari LaPlante (10 and eight) made the Cougars’ inside players look even thinner.

California 58, Washington 48: Layshia Clarendon scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half to help the sixth-seeded Bears (16-14) pull away from the seventh-seeded Huskies (11-17).

Arizona 90, Oregon 89: Soana Lucet scored the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left and finished with 23 points as the Wildcats (20-10) escaped with a victory over the Ducks (13-17).

Arizona State 50, Oregon State 44: Dymond Simon scored 13 points and the Sun Devils (20-9) overcame poor shooting to defeat the Beavers (9-21).

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