According to coach Tia Jackson, penetrating the inside lane has been the strategy for the UW women’s basketball team all along.

The Husky’s inside offensive strategy went into overdrive yesterday as Washington (7-10, 2-3 Pac-10) defeated the USC Trojans (10-7, 3-3 Pac-10), 60-45, in a physical match at Hec Edmunson Pavilion.

“We beat a very good team today,” Jackson said. “All year it has been the plan to go inside. Today we just really proved it.”

The UW women had trouble rebounding early in the first half as they fell behind by six points on two occasions, but things began to click near the end of the first period when the Dawgs took their first lead with four minutes left and never looked back.

Washington out-rebounded the women of Troy (44-39), shot much better from the field (45.3 percent to 25.7 percent) and dominated in the paint with 36 inside points.

Much of the inside offensive success was attributed to senior forward and center Andrea Plouffe, who, despite suffering from knee tendonitis and being limited in practice, scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead a Huskies’ interior charge that took only 12 shots from beyond the arch.

“It was just coming together for us,” Plouffe said. “Everyone was working hard. We were all on the same page on offense.”

Another big component to the UW victory was newfound defensive success, according to Jackson.

The Dawgs limited the Trojans to just 25.7 percent shooting and only 45 points, both season lows for any UW opponent.

“I think we mixed it up so much that they could never get into a rhythm,” Jackson said. “For the most part, our defense was what won this game for us.”

The Washington defense also limited its foul trouble, committing a season-low nine fouls and giving USC only three free throw opportunities. The Dawgs were fouled 15 times and got 15 free throw opportunities by comparison.

The match got physical in the second half as several players on both sides got knocked to the hardwood, including freshman forward and center Jess McCormack, who scored 12 points to contribute to the high-low offense.

“We have to play whatever game the refs allow us to play,” Jackson said. “If it’s a physical game, then by all means we will match physical play.”

Despite the rough play, the Dawgs came through with their first home Pac-10 victory of the season. Senior guard Emily Florence called the victory a turning point, something to build on and something for the younger players on the team to get excited about.

“This is a good win for us,” Florence said. “Even though there are freshmen out there, they weren’t playing like freshmen. They stepped up and we kept the lead.”

Notes: Freshman forward and center Jess McCormack collided with USC sophomore guard Aarika Hughes on a rebound attempt in the second half, and she suffered a minor concussion. McCormack was sent to the University of Washington Medical Center after the game for evaluation.

[Reach reporter Allen Wagner at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]