USC women, held scoreless for almost a full quarter, rally to win Big Ten opener

Jazzy Davidson glanced at the basket with less than two minutes left in USC’s Big Ten opener and in a split-second’s time considered her options. Nearly nothing had fallen from three-point range for the Trojans. It took 25 minutes Sunday just to see one three-pointer drop, and the Trojans had made only two.

But the mere threat of the freshman pulling up from range, even on a night defined by defensive struggle, was enough to give Davidson the sliver of space she needed. After pausing she raced past her defender and toward the basket, lifting for a finger roll that propelled USC past Washington in a 59-50 victory.

The win wasn’t just a significant statement for USC ahead of its heavyweight battle with No. 1 Connecticut next Saturday. It was also a major mile marker for Lindsay Gottlieb, who became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins.

Washington wouldn’t make it easy. No. 16 USC (7-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) and No. 21 Washington (8-1, 0-1) had battled, neither team managing to mount a double-digit lead. The Trojans seized the lead in the third quarter, but every effort to pull away was squashed by the Huskies.

A late flurry from a familiar face in former Trojans guard Avery Howell, who scored 13 of her 16 points after halftime, kept Washington within striking distance until the final minute.

But USC refused to back down. With less than five minutes left, Londynn Jones forced a turnover, dove for a loose ball and started a fast break that was finished by Kara Dunn. Kennedy Smith, who scored 13 points, hit a turnaround jumper in the paint on the next trip down. And then with less than two minutes left, Davidson took off through the lane, extending the lead to five.

“I saw a resolve in our team,” Gottlieb said. “I knew we could get the next stop. I knew we could get the next play.”

It was a furious end to what had otherwise been a gritty battle between Big Ten foes. USC finished 23 for 60 from the field after missing its first 11 shots. The Trojans never quite found their stride from deep either, hitting just two of 17 threes.

Davidson, in particular, opened the game without any rhythm on offense. She started 0 for 5 and ice cold from the perimeter. But the freshman hit 10 of her last 16 shots and ended up with a career-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds.

“There are just some nights that are like that,” Davidson said. “Sometimes you’re just off. Those shots you make 9 out of 10 times, just keep shooting them.”

That was the sentiment for USC early on as nothing was falling for the Trojans. They were held scoreless for the first 8½ minutes as no one seemed safe from the teamwide slump.

But with its offense struggling, USC’s defense did its part to muddy up the game. After one quarter, neither team was shooting better than 16%. They combined to score just 12 points in the first 10 minutes.

Gottlieb was particularly proud of that stretch, even as USC struggled mightily to find the hoop. Still, the Trojans’ defense never let the early deficit grow. By halftime they’d tied the score.

“To not score for 8½ minutes and not lose our spirit and only be down by four, I think, says a lot about who we’ve become and are trying to become,” Gottlieb said.

USC’s renewed rebounding efforts also made an impression, after assistant coach Beth Burns challenged the team to be better on the boards. The Trojans finished with 50 rebounds, a dozen more than their opponents.

That extra effort proved to be the difference as USC held on against the Huskies, starting its Big Ten slate with its grittiest win of the season to date.