Southern Cal 73, No. 2 Stanford 72

1/6/2008 7:03 PM

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Southern California coach Mark Trakh looked away on Stanford's last possession. The ball was in the hands of Candice Wiggins, which usually means a score.

Not this time.

The biggest shots belonged to Camille LeNoir, whose jumper with 8.1 seconds remaining gave USC a 73-72 upset victory over No. 2 Stanford on Sunday.

``That was fun,'' Trakh said. ``I was waiting for the reaction of the crowd. When they went nuts, I knew we won.''

LeNoir scored 21 points, including a career high-tying five 3-pointers, for the Trojans (9-6, 2-2 Pac-10), who ended a 10-game losing streak to the Cardinal.

``I was definitely feeling it,'' said LeNoir, who had been bothered all week in practice by a hip injury. ``My teammates kept telling me to shoot. They got me open on a lot of pick-and-roll screens.''

It was a lost weekend for Stanford.

Jayne Appel had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Wiggins added 17 points and Kayla Pedersen added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinal (12-3, 2-2), which got swept in Los Angeles for the first time since the 1993-94 season.

Stanford had its nine-game winning streak snapped Friday night in a 69-56 loss at UCLA.

``This game could have easily gone either way,'' Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. ``We had some defensive breakdowns that hurt us.''

The Trojans went 1-3 facing three consecutive ranked opponents, losing to Arizona State and California before beating the Cardinal.

``It's such a big win,'' Trakh said. ``I have so much respect for Tara. That's why this means a lot. Stanford is the benchmark for all of us. We're all reaching to be like Stanford.''

Neither team led by more than five points in the second half. In all, there were 10 ties and 10 lead changes.

Appel made one of two free throws for a 72-71 lead with 38 seconds left. LeNoir's basket put the Trojans ahead for good.

``I wasn't even thinking anything,'' LeNoir said. ``The play was supposed to go to Nadia (Parker), but she wasn't open.''

Then Wiggins put up an airball at the final buzzer, triggering a massive mid-court celebration by the Trojans.

``I never jumped as high as I did in my life,'' LeNoir said.

Typically, Stanford responds well after a loss. After being beaten by Connecticut on Thanksgiving, the Cardinal ran off the nine-game winning streak that the Bruins ended.

``There's nothing else you can do but move forward. You learn a bigger lesson losing,'' Wiggins said. ``Unfortunately, we let them get off to a great start and they had great perimeter shooting. We all know what they're capable of. We see them as a good team.''

The Trojans shot 58 percent from 3-point range. They trailed by five when Allison Jaskowiak hit a 3 in front of the rowdy USC bench, then Parker scored inside to tie the game at 71.

``Ally stopped Candice,'' LeNoir said about the final possession. ``It's because of her we won.''

USC led virtually the entire first half. Stanford didn't regain the lead for the first time until Rosalyn Gold-Onwude hit a 3-pointer at 12:38 of the second half.

The Cardinal led by six points early in the game before the Trojans hit some well-timed 3-pointers. Their fourth of the half by Aarika Hughes tied it at 24.

Appel's basket tied it again at 26. USC got back-to-back baskets by LeNoir on an open layup and a 3-pointer for a 31-26 lead. But the Cardinal erased all of their deficit and went into halftime tied at 32 on a 3-pointer by Wiggins despite shooting 39 percent from the floor.