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When a team on the rise faces a top opponent, it often can serve as a measuring stick game.
With No. 1 UConn coming to town, it was an opportunity for No. 16 USC, a team that’s trying to climb up the top 25 rankings, to see how they fare against the very elite. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the test showed that they have a lot of work left to do.
The opening minutes of the game were the only moments when this contest was close. After that, it was all UConn as they obliterated USC, 79-51.
The Huskies had a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures. Sarah Strong continued her stellar season with 14 points and seven rebounds. Azzi Fudd had an efficient night, going 6-for 11 from the field and scoring a team-high 17 points.
For USC, Kennedy Smith had a strong game, scoring 16 points. Londynn Jones stepped up big in this one. She had 16 points off the bench for the Trojans. Jazzy Davidson needed to have a big game for USC to pull off the upset, but she had just 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting.
USC held a brief 9-8 advantage midway through the first quarter, but UConn went on an impressive 15-0 run to take over the game—and they never looked back. The lead ballooned to as much as 39 points, as USC was unable to even score in double figures in the first and second quarters.
UConn swarmed USC and forced them into turnovers all night long. The Huskies had 14 steals and seven blocks. After the defeat, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb talked about the turnovers hurting her team’s chances for success.
We turned the ball over too much. And that’s something we talked about. It’s really hard to guard them in transition off of made or missed baskets. But I thought we could do that probably better than anyone, maybe that they’ve played, but it’s really hard off of live-ball turnovers.
It wasn’t just turnovers and points in the paint—a category that USC lost 44-22— where the Trojans struggled.
They needed more from Davidson, who is the team’s lead scorer and rebounder. It’s tough to ask so much of a freshman, but while JuJu Watkins is out, that is Davidson’s role. That crown can get really heavy when UConn is applying pressure on you.
Gottlieb discussed the challenges facing her young guard after the game, explaining:
In her first 10 games, she’s played two top-three teams, a couple more top 25 teams. It’s definitely not the easy route. It’s not, ”Get yourself used to college basketball with teams, where we’re just superior.” But I think that’s great for her. I think her mentality is a competitive one. I think she’s the focal point in a lot of ways of another team’s scout. And she’ll keep getting better and we’ll all keep getting better to make all of us play better.
Ultimately, the reality is UConn is a couple of steps ahead of USC, and that’s understandable. They are the undefeated defending champs, and USC is in a sort of gap year as their superstar player recovers from an ACL tear. Now, USC won’t ever admit this, but it’s clear when you watch them play that they just don’t have enough when facing the most elite teams.
The Trojans have three losses now, and two of them came against the top two teams in the nation. While these blowouts aren’t fun, they are losses that can be turned into lessons. Davidson will get better in big moments, the turnovers can get cleaned up and in the future, be it later this spring or next year, they’ll take what they’ve learned and turn it into wins.
Smith expressed this mindset after the game, saying of the team’s approach during the lopsided game:
Just kind of using it as a learning experience. During the game, I was telling in the huddles, “Just work on us at this point’.” Like if we’re going to lose the game, we’re going to lose the game, but work on what we needed to be better at. If it’s getting open on a catch, or going to the basket, like it’s work on us.
The work for USC will continue on Thursday when they take on the Cal Poly Mustangs at home.
