WOMEN'S ROUNDUP: TROJANS KEEP POISE VS. BOISE ST.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

With only eight players in uniform and six in street clothes, the USC women's basketball team hardly looked like a team ready to open its season Thursday night. And after trailing Boise State by two points at halftime, it was apparent that the Women of Troy's depth would be a problem.

But not enough to actually lose the game.

USC still proved too much for Boise State, pulling away for a 71-54 victory at the Lyon Center.

Freshman guard Tiffany Elmore sparked USC, scoring nine points in the second half and finishing with 11. Point guard Kristin Clark added 12 in the second half and finished with a game-high 15 points and seven assists.

``I thought our conditioning really came through. We're hurting numbers wise right now,'' USC coach Chris Gobrecht said. ``It's frustrating. We've just got to hang in there until we're full strength.''

USC was without point guard Erica Mashia, experiencing knee problems after missing two years with a hip injury. She might require knee surgery and is considered day-to-day. Also missing was forward Carmen Krause (sprained ankle), forward Aimee Copp (ineligible until Dec. 29) and guard Kiyoko Miller, who had shoulder surgery and might return in late December.

Two other players, transfers Danielle Golay and Denise Woods, must redshirt this season.

- Scott Wolf

No. 1 Purdue 65, Arizona 58: In Tucson, Ariz., freshman Kelly Komara sank a 3-pointer and a driving layup in the final 3:33 as the top-ranked Boilermakers (2-0) escaped with the win.

The Boilermakers outscored the Wildcats 8-2 over the last 2-1/2 minutes. Arizona didn't score in the last 2:03.

Purdue, which vaulted to No. 1 by stunning three-time defending national champion Tennessee 78-68 Sunday, made a delay-filled 15-hour trip west on Wednesday to face Arizona in its first defense of the top ranking.

No. 3 Louisiana Tech 88, Florida State 72: Shaka Massey scored six of her 20 points during a crucial second-half run to lead Tech on the road.

No. 5 North Carolina 88, N.C.-Wilmington 43: Nikki Teasley scored a 17 points in just 19 minutes for the Tar Heels (4-0) at home.

No. 9 Alabama 96, Samford 52: Dominique Canty scored 23 points, as the Tide (3-0) took advantage of bad Samford shooting.

No. 10 Rutgers 60, Indiana 53: In the semifinals of the women's preseason NIT in Fort Collins, Colo., Rutgers (3-0) used balanced scoring and got 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the final minute by Shawnetta Stewart to win.

No. 13 George Washington 69, William & Mary 48: Petra Dubovcova, who sat out most of her freshman season with a knee injury, had 25 points and 11 rebounds for GW (2-0).

Dubovcova, a 6-foot-3 forward from Slovakia and one of the most highly touted recruits in school history, was 11-for-16 from the field and made her only 3-pointer in her second career double-double.

No. 24 Illinois 76, Stanford 58: The Cardinal fell to 0-3 for the first time in 25 years as Illinois' Susan Blauser scored 20 points and Melissa Parker had 17 at Stanford.