WOMEN’S BASKETBALL : USC to Play Host to Washington

Ninth-ranked USC will play No. 16 Washington in a game matching the Pacific 10 Conference’s two unbeaten women’s basketball teams tonight at USC’s Lyon Center.

While USC, 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-10, and Washington (10-1, 2-0) play, Washington State (6-5, 1-1) will be playing UCLA (6-5, 1-1) at Pauley Pavilion. The USC game begins at 7:30 p.m., the UCLA game at 6:30.

Washington has won nine in a row, most recently home victories over Stanford (78-61) and California (95-60). It was Stanford’s largest margin of defeat in its last 80 games.

The Huskies--who play at UCLA on Saturday at 2 p.m.--have been led by junior Rhonda Smith, who had 15 points and eight rebounds in the rout of fifth-ranked Stanford and held the Cardinal’s Anita Kaplan to six points, 10.6 below her average.

USC, meanwhile, survived close calls last week in Oregon, defeating Oregon State, 63-56, last Thursday and beating Oregon, 47-45 on Saturday.

UCLA lost, 82-77, at Oregon but beat Oregon State, 76-61.

The Bruins outscored Oregon State, 30-4, over the last 12 minutes at Corvallis. During one stretch, UCLA’s Natalie Williams scored 13 of UCLA’s 24 points. She finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.