Lady Toreros topple WCC opponents over break

While winter break for the vast majority of USD students was a time of rest and vacation, for the USD women’s basketball program winter break marks the beginning of Conference play. The team who is presently beginning the second round of their conference games has a record of 4-2, and they hope to finish the remainder of their season strong and hope to make another NCAA tournament appearance.
The squad opened their West Coast Conference play at home on Jan. 9, first against the Santa Clara Broncos and then the San Francisco Dons. Success was on the Toreros’ side due to the hard work of sophomore guard Dominique Conners who lead the way with 18 points against San Francisco and 16 points, two blocks and five rebounds
from sophomore forward Morgan Woodrow.
With two strong wins to start conference play, the women headed up to the Northwest to face the University of Portland and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Junior Sam Child had an outstanding performance in Portland Oregon with her game high 20 points, as she propelled her team to the 59-53 win over the Pilots. Heading off to battle for the first place title, the Toreros headed to Spokane, Wash. It was here, however, that the USD women’s basketball team saw its season high six-game winning streak come to an end with a 75-46 loss to Gonzaga.
Back on their home court with a record of 3-1, the Lady Toreros were able to take the entire week to rethink and prepare for their lone game of the week against Saint Mary’s College, who also has a 3-1 record. With seven seconds left on the clock in the final half, the Toreros seemed to have sealed their fate with a win, but Saint Mary’s forced the game into overtime. The Toreros were left searching for an offensive replacement when lead scorer Dominique Conners fouled out of the game in the second half, and even with the valiant efforts of the seniors Morgan Henderson and Morgan Woodrow, the Gaels finished the game with a heartbreaking score of 66-69.
Coming off a loss like the one against Saint Mary’s can often be difficult, however, the USD woman’s basketball team is digging deep to finish off the first half of Conference WCC action with wins. Senior forward Morgan Henderson (22 points) and Dominique
Conners (20 points) rose to the challenge with outstanding performances that allowed their team to power past Loyola Marymount University with a 69-60 win Thursday night.
Senior Morgan Henderson is just one of the many outstanding players to keep your eye on this season. With 979 career points scored she is currently closing in on the historic 1,000 career point total.
The USD women’s basketball team will wrap up the first half of Conference play Saturday against Pepperdine in the Jenny Craig Pavilion at 2 p.m.