LOS ANGELES — The Washington women’s basketball team built a 10-point lead at halftime before succumbing in the second half Sunday, losing 73-66 at USC.
Nancy Mulkey scored 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting for the Huskies (5-5, 0-2 Pac-12). Missy Peterson contributed 10 points. Haley Van Dyke and Trinity Oliver each had seven points and six rebounds. Lauren Schwartz scored six points with six assists and five rebounds.
Jordyn Jenkins hit three three-pointers and scored 24 points for the Trojans (9-5, 2-2).
The Huskies opened the game with a 7-0 burst and led 24-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Van Dyke hit a big three, followed by a charge taken by Darcy Rees, giving the Huskies strong momentum going into the break with a 39-29 advantage.
USC turned things around in the second half and trailed just 55-53 after three quarters.
The Trojans took the lead for the first time with 9:18 left in the game and extended it to five with a minute remaining.
The Trojans shot 50.9% for the game and made 6 of 15 three-pointers. The Huskies shot 40.6% and made just 5 of 22 three-pointers.
Washington managed a 35-33 rebounding advantage and each team had 13 turnovers.
The Huskies host Oregon on Friday at 7 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.
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