BRIDGEPORT (CONN.) REGIONAL: EXPERIENCE CARRIES TROJANS TO VICTORY.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer The USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. women's basketball Women's basketball is one of the few games which developed in tandem with men's. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges. team didn't have many advantages coming into its first-round NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
The Trojans have been losing players at an alarming rate this season, losing two starters and two reserves with season-ending injuries, leaving them with only seven scholarship players for the tournament. But USC did have one important thing going for it: experience. That was the difference as the eighth-seeded Trojans held off ninth-seeded South Florida 67-65 Sunday in Norfolk, Va. in the first round of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional. USC made all the key plays down the stretch against a talented but inexperienced South Florida team making its first tournament appearance. ``I thought our experience really showed up towards the end of the game,'' said junior center Chloe Kerr, who scored 16 and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds and five blocks. ``Last year (in a second-round loss to top-seeded Michigan State), we fought so hard. It was so close and it could've gone either way. ... We learned a lot from that experience.'' Kerr made the defensive play of the night with 16 seconds remaining. USC had just taken a 65-64 lead on two free throws by Eshaya Murphy Eshaya "Shay" Murphy (born April 15 1985, in Canoga Park, California) is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Minnesota Lynx. Murphy attended college at USC and graduated in 2007. (Montclair Prep of Panorama City), but South Florida got the ball in the hands of its leading scorer, Jessica Dickson (22.1 ppg), and she appeared to have a clear lane to the basket. The 6-foot-3 Kerr stepped into the lane, stuck her hands straight up and blocked the shot with both hands. Referees called a jump ball and USC was awarded the ball via the possession arrow. After that, sophomore point guard Camille LeNoir knocked down the front end of two consecutive free-throw situations. South Florida's Shantia Grace had a chance to tie the score with 4.8 seconds left, but missed one of her two free throws. USC (19-11) advances to face top-seeded Duke in the second round Tuesday night. Murphy led USC with 21 points and LeNoir added 17. Murphy broke USC's all-time record for 3-pointers with a deep three in the second half. She has 111 in her three-year career. She's scored in double figures in 24 straight games. ``It's amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. to see the transformation in her,'' said Meghan Gnekow, USC's only senior, about Murphy. ``She had grown so much as a basketball player. When she (came) here as a freshman, she barely cared at all about it. Now, she loves every minute of it. ... She's been doing this all year.'' Gnekow made something of a comeback herself Sunday. Saturday night, she received fluids via an IV line in her hotel room after suffering from a severe migraine migraine (mī`grān), headache characterized by recurrent attacks of severe pain, usually on one side of the head. It may be preceded by flashes or spots before the eyes or a ringing in the ears, and accompanied by double vision, nausea, . But she felt well enough by Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. to play. |
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