Preview: Oregon State Women’s Basketball Versus USC

Oregon State (11-3) ventures across Los Angeles on Sunday to the Galen Center as they square off against Southern California. Check out the game on the Pac-12 Network, listen on Oregon State AllAccess, or follow along on the team’s official Twitter account. Tip off is scheduled for 1 PM. Let’s take a closer look at the Trojans.

Southern California (10-4 overall, 0-3 Pac-12)

Things were looking up for USC head coach Mark Trakh in his first year back with the program. The Women of Troy started out the season with a non-conference record of 10-1 and on the verge of cracking the top-25 rankings. Their lone loss at that point had been a one point game to 19th ranked Texas A&M. Since then, they have had to face three of the toughest teams in the conference in California, Stanford, and Oregon; all ranked teams and all losses.

The Trojans are led by senior forward Kristen Simon who averages 17.7 points and 8.4 rebounds a game, good for second and seventh in the conference respectively. On the roster are another trio of double digit scorers in guards Minyon Moore, Aliyah Mazyck, and Sadie Edwards, who all rank in the top-15 for scoring average in the conference. Moore and Mazyck also each rank in the top-five for steals.

Prediction

The Trojans are a team that has the athleticism to give the Beavers fits. Last year, USC used their talent to choke Oregon State in the full-court press, and as we just saw against UCLA, the Beavers are still vulnerable. Look for Moore and Mazyck to be in the face of the ball handlers for the Beavers to lead the charge. The visiting team loses a close one.