LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of California, Riverside (UCR) Highlanders traveled to nearby Los Angeles to take on the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans in a quickly scheduled non-conference bout. The Trojans, originally scheduled to play the University of Washington, found themselves without an opponent this weekend and were able to fill the gap in the schedule with the Highlanders, also off from conference play this weekend due to COVID-19 cancellations from their opponents.
Coach Nicole Powell's young Highlanders showed up to Galen Center prepared and grabbed one of the biggest wins in UC Riverside women's basketball program history, upsetting USC 54-52 in a tremendous display of sharp shooting, tough defense, and leave-it-all-on-the-court grittiness.
On the win, Coach Powell said, "I am so incredibly proud of this team and every single player on our roster tonight. It was a great team victory. I thought what really lead to our success tonight was the intense focus we had all week as we prepared for USC." Simply put, she said, "Our players went out and executed our game plan."
Before the game even started, the Highlanders were awarded two points after converting a pair of free throws due to equipment issues with the Trojan's shot clock. Out of the gate, UC Riverside played aggressive and forced turnovers, stifling USC to just two points in the first five minutes of the game. Kari Kyrkjebo landed two back-to-back high arching three-pointers to bring the Highlanders to a 13 point lead at 15-2.
With a little under four minutes left on the clock for the quarter, USC would begin to find their offense, going on an eight-point run to bring the game within five points at 15-10 before UCR's leading point guard Jada Holland answered back with a jumper to push UCR ahead to 17-10 at the end of the first quarter.
The Highlanders stayed hot in the second quarter, holding the Trojans to just nine points and extending their lead with a 14-1 run over the span of five minutes. They went into the locker room at halftime with the largest lead of the game, 36-19, thanks to a three-pointer from Keilanei Cooper. Cooper had 18 points going into halftime, having entered the competition averaging 16 points per game this season.
The Trojans came out of the locker room desperate to stage a comeback and close the gap on the 17 point lead the Highlanders established in the first half. The third quarter would go to the Trojans as they fought for the game, holding the Highlanders to just five points in the entire quarter. Impressively, a UCR scoring drought would allow USC to nearly close a 19-point gap in just five minutes. USC would come within two points of UCR's lead, 38-36, but wouldn't tie or overcome the Highlanders this quarter – Keilanei Cooper sunk a three pointer to bring the Highlanders up 41-36. Before the third concluded, a Trojan jump shot would bring the game back into a single possession ballgame, 41-38, as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The Highlanders began the final quarter with a three-point lead, knowing a single shot could tie the game and bring victory into USC's grasp. An early jumper by Daphne Gnago put five points between UCR and the Trojans, and a back and forth ensued as the Trojans fought to catch Coach Powell's Highlanders and secure the lead.
The closest USC came to taking the game from the Highlanders would be in the final seconds before the buzzer, when a good Trojan three-pointer and jump shot brought the score to 52-49 with just 11 seconds left in regulation. Kari Kyrkjebo would draw a foul and sink a pair of crucial free throws that buffered the Trojans final shot – a successful three-pointer with just :6 on the clock. The Highlanders take their first win against the USC Trojans in program history with Coach Powell's 54-52 victory.
A true team win was bolstered by impressive individual performances, with Keilanei Cooper standing out and leading the team with 26 points. Kari Kyrkjebo dazzled from the three-point line, nailing three out of four long distance buckets and three free throws for 12 points, while snagging seven boards. Jordan Webster led the team defensively with nine rebounds while Jada Holland forced a bevy of Trojan turnovers with six steals.
Coach Powell beamed at the team effort, saying "Even the players on our bench who didn't play a lot or at all were dialed in, everyone was supporting, helping, doing whatever they could to maintain the momentum. This has really been our best effort and level of focus that we've had to execute a game plan. It is really something I'm hoping to build off, we definitely still have a lot of work to do. We are certainly going to enjoy this win but its back to the grind and back to conference play now." She smiled, "We have a lot of things we need to clean up, but I am really, really proud of the team tonight!"
The UC Riverside Highlanders return to conference play next weekend on the road with a pair of games scheduled for Friday and Saturday January 22 and 23 at 4:00pm against new Big West rivals, Cal State Bakersfield.
