CLOSE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR USC TROJANS BLOW LATE LEAD VS. CARDINAL NO. 11 STANFORD 78, NO. 23 USC 69.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

There was a time, not so long ago, when Sunday's 78-69 loss to No. 11 Stanford would have been a morale boost for the No. 23 USC women's basketball team.

After all, the Trojans led for most of the game and had a good shot at knocking off the Cardinal, despite a rash of injuries in recent weeks that has filled USC's bench with a group of injured starters in fashionable street clothes.

But too much has happened since that time for Sunday's loss to be counted as a confidence-builder. The Trojans have been within one basket of the Sweet 16, they've been the second-best team in the Pacific-10 Conference for most of this season and came into this weekend with a five-game winning streak.

``We're tired of the should've, could've, would've. We really did need this win today,'' USC junior center Chloe Kerr said. ``I think we've reached a level where it's time to beat the ranked teams, the Stanfords and the Notre Dames and the Ohio States. I think we're good enough, I know we're good enough to beat those type of teams.''

Indeed, for most of the game, USC was good enough to win. The Trojans led by as many as nine points in the second half and had a 62-55 lead with 6:54 remaining.

After that, however, Stanford's superior depth seemed to wear USC down. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer seemed to have an endless supply of players she could bring off the bench to play the high-pressure half-court defense she favors.

And when Stanford junior forward Brooke Smith got a hot hand, there was little USC could do to slow her down. Smith, who had been in foul trouble throughout the game, scored six straight points as part of a 23-5 Stanford run over the final six minutes.

The Cardinal shot 70.8 percent from the field in the second half and made 10 of 12 free throws.

USC (13-7, 7-4) played without former starters Jamie Funn and Brynn Cameron, both of whom are out for the season with hip injuries. Freshman Simone Jelks also missed the game with an injured knee.

Junior forward Eshaya Murphy once again led USC with 16 points, but 13 of those came in the first half. Kerr added 10 points and Camille LeNoir had 13.

Stanford (14-5, 9-2), the five-time defending Pac-10 champion, had four players score 14 or more points, led by Candice Wiggins' 18 points. Freshman guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude had all 14 of her points in the second half. Forward Jillian Harmon had 15 points off the bench.

``I think we showed great determination, especially after a tough loss to UCLA on Friday night,'' Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. ``I thought it was really gutsy. We showed some grit, and some heart ... because we had to battle for this win.''

Both teams were trying to avoid a weekend sweep. Stanford lost 90-80 to UCLA on Friday. USC lost 72-67 to California.

USC falls into a four-way tie for second place with UCLA, Arizona State and Washington.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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Stanford's Rosalyn Gold-Onwude drives to the basket against USC's Nadia Parker (44) during the Cardinal's win on Sunday.

Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News