Washington at USC
February 01, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2002
Washington at USC Women's Basketball Feb. 1, 2002
* Sophomore guard Giuliana Mendiola, from nearby Lake Forest, Calif., equalled her career-high with 22 points versus USC. She scored 22 in the season-opener at Montana State this year and also had 22 at California last season.
*Mendiola scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half. She also passed out six assists and had only two turnovers in 33 minutes of play.
* Washington's win over USC gives the Huskies a season sweep over the Trojans. UW won, 80-79, in overtime in Seattle back on Jan. 6.
Sophomore guard Giuliana Mendiola
"I was excited to play in front of my family. I don't even know how many people were here, probably 40 or 50. We had to ask for a lot of tickets from our teammates. Almost our whole family was here. It's a lot different than playing in Seattle when only a few of them are there. Plus, last year we dropped two games down here (in Los Angeles). I was very happy to win tonight. This was a huge win against a great, talented team. Every game down the stretch is so important. We need to play hard every game. We have to be physical.
"I took the shots when I had them tonight. My teammates were looking for me. We knew coming in here that USC played great defense and they were a pressing team. We had to have good ball movement.
"This is a huge win for us. The Pac-10 is so close. We are looking to position ourselves well for the tournament. This game was huge. It's a great confidence booster.
"We did a better job of pressuring the ball. The guards were pressuring them. Ebony Hoffman is tremendously strong and difficult to guard."
Washington head coach June Daugherty
"This was a hard fought game against a very good USC team. It was a tremendously well fought victory. It was a lot closer than even the six points. Both teams played hard and played well.
"We got good balance from our team and a good response off the bench. We've worked hard at playing well on the road. We feel great, but we aren't going to celebrate for long. It's one down, one to go.
"For one thing, we did a good job of taking care of the ball against a very good team. It was a hard fought game. It could have gone either way. We are very pleased to come out of here with the win.
"In the second half we did a good job of taking care of the ball against a good pressure team. Except for a couple of miscues, we did a good job of taking care of the pressure. It was a great homecoming for Giuliana and Gioconda (Mendiola).
"Gio (Mendiola) played well. The stat sheet doesn't show everything that she did tonight. She kept our offense moving tonight.
"Giuliana is a leader in so many areas. Tonight she had that extra edge, being at home. She did a great job. The team did a great job of getting her the ball. We ask a lot of Giuli and we have a lot of confidence in her.
"Our goal is to win both games on the road. USC played a great game and we felt we played a great game too."
