In a basketball game that apparently had all the appeal of a Gray Davis-Bill Simon campaign, the USC Women of Troy out-sucked the UConn Huskies on Sunday, shooting 18 percent from the field en route to a 68-44 loss to the defending national champs at the Hartford Civic Center.

Said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, referring to his own team’s performance in a game where the Huskies gave up 30 turnovers: “That was the most god-awful exhibition of basketball I have ever witnessed.” And yet USC still managed to lose by 24 points. How? Well, there was that little 18 percent thing — the lowest shooting percentage in school history. And then there was, um, lack of effort? “None of us were really in the game, me personally in the first half,” said USC star Ebony Hoffman. “We all could have played a lot harder.” So much for the notion that everybody puts on their “A” game when facing the team with the bullseye on its back. Sheesh.

It should be noted that I’m basing all of this on news accounts, since I couldn’t watch the game in person or on TV. Which reminds me of the really frustrating thing about it: USC played UConn today in Connecticut, and then next weekend they play Tennessee in Los Angeles. If those two games were reversed on the schedule, I could have gone to both. But as it is, I can’t go to either one. I was Los Angeles today; next weekend, I’ll be in Connecticut. D’oh!