USC upsets No. 12 Colorado but loses leading scorer Ariya Crook

Jan 4, 2014, 09:56 am

LOS ANGELES -- Cassie Harberts scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead USC to a 55-45 win Friday over No. 12 Colorado.

Harberts gave USC a 46-45 lead after converting two free throws with 3:08 to play. Brianna Barrett added a bucket, Harberts sunk three free throws and Desiree Bradley added two more free throws to seal the victory. USC outscored Colorado 11-0 over the final 4:01 of the game.

Bradley scored 11 points for the Trojans (9-5). The team shot 31 percent from the field overall and 76 percent from the line.

USC was dealt a blow in the first minute of the game as Trojans leading scorer Ariya Crook, who averages 16.3 points per game, left the game with a leg injury and did not return.

Brittany Wilson led Colorado (10-2) with 13 points, and her twin sister, Ashley, added 12 points.

The Trojans snapped the Buffaloes' nine-game regular-season conference winning streak -- a run that started with a win over the Trojans on Feb. 3, 2013.

Colorado fell to 3-2 on the road this season, with its only other loss coming in a 69-62 setback against No. 7 Louisville two weeks ago. It was Colorado's first regular-season nonconference loss in 33 games, a streak that reached back to the 2010-11 campaign.

Both teams shot poorly from the outset of the game. However, the Trojans managed to build a 9-0 lead following two free throws by Bradley.

The Buffaloes missed their first 12 shots and didn't get on the board until Ashley Wilson's basket with 13:20 left in the first half. USC upped its lead to 17-5 after a basket by Harberts at the 9:05 mark.

Colorado countered with a 15-6 run over the final 8:30 of the half to cut the lead to 23-20 at the break. The Buffaloes' 20 points were their fewest in a first half this season.

The Trojans shot 25.9 percent (7-for-27) in the first half and made eight of 10 free throws. USC blocked nine shots in the opening half.

The Buffaloes made seven of 33 shots (21.2 percent) and missed all four 3-point attempts in the first half.

Ashley Wilson led all scorers in the first half with seven points. Alexyz Vaioletama led the Trojans with six points and six rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.