LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team put itself in position for an upset at Pac-12 member USC, but was unable to close it out in the fourth quarter, falling 78-69 Thursday evening at the Galen Center.
 
The Anteaters (4-3) led by two early in the final frame and were locked in a 61-61 tie with 6:25 remaining before the Trojans (5-2) went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to pull out the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams led the 'Eaters with 17 points and three assists. She went 6-for-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line. Chloe Webb also had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Naomi Hunt added 13 points and four boards. Sophia Locandro chipped in nine points and six rebounds.
 
UCI shot 43% from the field and held USC to 39%. The big difference came at the free throw line where the Trojans had twice as many attempts. They finished the game with an 85% clip (22-26) compared to 77% (10-13) for the Anteaters. USC also held a 42-33 advantage on the boards.
 
Jordyn Jenkins led the Trojans with 24 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine got out to a strong start, pulling ahead 13-5 on a Nikki Tom layup at the 5:54 mark. USC then responded with eight unanswered to tie it up, but the Anteaters took the lead right back with a bucket from Webb. UCI stayed out front, holding a 19-18 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
After four lead changes to start the second period, the Trojans used another 8-0 spurt to go up, 30-23, with 6:55 remaining. The 'Eaters then got a spark from Hunt, who scored eight-straight points with a couple free throws sandwiched in between a pair of triples, to reclaim the lead at 33-32 with just under four minutes remaining. UCI extended that into a 15-4 run as it closed out the half with a 40-36 cushion. Over the final five minutes, the Anteaters held the Trojans to six points, all of which came from the charity stripe.
 
UC Irvine started strong again in the third frame, going on top, 45-40, on a traditional three-point play from Locandro at the 7:23 mark. USC then turned the tables over the next few minutes, knocking down a trey and continuing on a 12-2 run to pull ahead, 52-47. Williams answered with UCI's final six points of the quarter to make it a two-point game (55-53).
 
Back-to-back buckets from Locandro to open the fourth put the visitors up, 57-55. A seesaw battle ensued with three tie scores before the Trojans used a 13-2 rally to take a 74-63 lead with 2:13 remaining. The Anteaters continued to fight but were unable to make a late comeback.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Eaters will take a short break for finals week as they are off until next Saturday, Dec. 11, when they welcome the University of San Diego to the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. showdown. That will be UCI's only home game in the month of December.
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine committed more turnovers than its opponent for the first time this season.
• The Anteaters also suffered their first loss when leading at halftime.
• Kayla Williams had her fifth-straight double-figure scoring game.
• Williams is averaging 14.4 points during that stretch.
• Sophia Locandro made her 50th career start.
• Locandro has registered at least one block in six of seven games this season.
• Tara Dusharm also had multiple blocks in a game for the third time.