California State University at Northridge
7-2
USC
6-2
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Matadors' Rally Falls Short in Overtime Loss at USC
12/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Just to get to an extra period was a testament to the determination of the Matadors. CSUN shot 45.2 percent in the second half and held USC to 37.5 percent shooting to help them overcome a slow start. Trailing by seven with roughly nine minutes to play (56-49), the Matadors answered with a 10-2 run capped by a Katlelin King lay-up to take a one-point lead (59-58) with 4:40 left to play.
A lay-up from Tessa Boagniput CSUN up four (65-61) and capped a 6-3 Matador run and put them up four with 54 seconds to play. The Trojans made one free throw and on their final possession, McKenzie Calvert banked in a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds on the clock to send the game into overtime.
Unfortunately, the extra period was all in USC's favor. The Trojans turned several CSUN turnovers into transition points. The final score, 85-74, did not reflect the closeness of the game as the Matadors trailed by just six with 57 seconds left in the overtime.
Ashlee Guay and Janae Sharpeeach had 19 points to lead CSUN. Guay added three 3-pointers, six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 43 minutes of work. With five field goals, Guay now has 484 for her career and passed Patricia De La Riva for fifth in program history.
Sharpe was 7-of-16 from the field and had three assists and three steals. She knocked down five free throws to raise her career total to an even 300, becoming just the third player in program history to achieve the feat.
"We were much more aggressive and attacking in the second half," Sharpe said. "We need to do a better job of being physical and boxing out. That is something we will need to dial in on in practice."
Cinnamon Lister finished with 12 points, three rebounds and three steals. Camille Mahlknecht was the fourth Matador in double-figures, posting 10 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.
The opening moments of the first half were a struggle for CSUN. The Women of Troy got out in transition early and often to build an 11-8 lead. From there, USC went on a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 24-10 and eventually led by as many as 17 midway through the first half. USC finished the first half with 13 fastbreak points.
The Matadors fought back and had several cracks to draw the deficit within 10 points. Cinnamon Lister and Janae Sharpe each had lay-ups during the Matadors' small run that cut the lead to nine with 2:11 in the half. Guay drained a pair of free throws in the final seconds to draw CSUN within 41-30 at halftime. Guay scored 11 points and had four rebounds and two steals in the opening 20 minutes.
In all, USC shot 52.3 percent for the game (34-65) and had 46 points in the paint. CSUN finished at 41.2 percent for the game (28-68) and scored 42 points in the paint. Both teams had 10 offensive rebounds and USC held a narrow edge in second-chance points (19-18).
Vaioletama led USC with a game-high 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field. Calvert added 21 off the bench.
The Matadors are now off for finals and return to the court Thursday, Dec. 18 with a road game at Northern Arizona University. Tip off from Flagstaff, Ariz., is slated for 6:30 p.m (MT) // 5:30 p.m. (PT).