SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alissa Pili scored 21 points and Kennedy McQueen added 17 behind five 3-pointers to lead No. 9 Utah to an 83-73 victory over Southern California on Friday night.
Pili shot 9 of 13 from the floor to pace an efficient offensive attack from the Utes (17-2, 7-2 Pac-12). Gianna Kneepkens added 16 points for Utah, which shot 53% from the field and outscored USC 42-26 in the paint.
Rayah Marshall had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Destiny Littleton also scored 15 points for USC (15-5, 5-4), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Odako Adika added 12 points on four 3-pointers.
After trailing by as many as 20 in the second half, the Trojans trimmed the deficit to single digits midway through the fourth quarter. Adika and Littleton made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Utah’s lead to 74-68.
The Utes went nearly 10 minutes without scoring a basket before McQueen ended the drought with her fourth 3-pointer.
McQueen’s final outside basket put Utah up 83-73 with 52 seconds left.
USC went nearly 8½ minutes in the first half without making a basket. The Trojans missed nine consecutive shots in that stretch before Littleton ended the dry spell with back-to-back baskets.
Utah quickly took advantage of the prolonged drought. Pili capped a 19-4 run with back-to-back layups, giving the Utes a 31-16 lead in the second quarter. The junior forward fueled the lengthy spurt with four field goals.
Utah used a 12-2 run fueled by three baskets from Kneepkens to build its largest lead of the game late in the third quarter. Jenna Johnson capped the run with a layup, putting the Utes ahead 69-49.
BIG PICTURE
USC: An inability to capitalize on defensive stops ultimately hurt the Trojans. USC forced 10 turnovers, but scored only four points on those takeaways.
Utah: The Utes imposed their will around the basket on offense early and it led to a highly efficient shooting performance over the first 2 1/2 quarters.
UP NEXT
USC: visits Colorado on Sunday.
Utah: hosts No. 8 UCLA on Sunday.
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