Carlos Puma

Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Tangles With The Pac-12 This Week At USC And Cal

Los Angeles, CA—The UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team tangles with a pair of Pac-12 teams this week as the Highlanders face USC at the Galen Center Wednesday, November 16 at 7 pm, and Cal on Friday, November 17 at 11:30 am.

UC Riverside (1-0) picked up its third straight, season-opening victory with a 72-44 win over visiting San Diego State Friday evening (box score/recap). Portland State transfer Lauren Holt had a stellar UCR debut against the Aztecs, pouring in 13 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter, making five of six shots from the floor, including three for three from long distance.

The Highlanders trio of returning All-Conference honorees also put their stamp on the game, as Simone DeCoud finished with 17 points and nine boards; Réjane Vérin registered a career-high 11 assists; and Michelle Curry added 13 points.

USC began its 2016-17 campaign with a 76-44 win over another Big West foe, Hawai'i. The Spartans doled time out to 13 players, with no member of the team logging more than 25. Junior forward Kristen Simon paced the squad with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in 25 minutes, while senior guard Jordan Adams added 11, and freshman forward Ja'Tavia Tapley scored 10.

Defensively, USC held the Rainbow Wahine to 29.8 percent shooting from the field, and 26.7 percent from three-point range, while out-rebounding them 44-26.

This is the first-ever meeting between the Highlanders and Trojans.

Cal is 2-0 on the year following wins over St. Mary's and Santa Clara in the season's opening weekend. Sophomore guard Asha Thomas is the team's leading scorer at 16.0 points per game, and makes a team-high 58.8 percent of her shots from the field and 60,0 percent from long distance.

Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe averages a near double-double with 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds, and junior swing man Mikayla Cowling rounds out the team's trio of double-digit scorers at 12.0 points per game.

The Highlanders are 1-5 all-time against the Bears (view results), and have lost the last four meeting between the teams. UC Riverside almost upended Cal a year ago on the road, before falling 64-58 (box score/recap).