LOS ANGELES -
*Telecast Available | 0:00 - 16:38
Coaches Film | 16:39 - 29:23
The No. 11/10 USC women's basketball team never trailed and rode a solid first-half wave to beat visiting Washington State 70-62 tonight at Galen Center. The Trojans improve to 14-3 overall and are now 4-3 in Pac-12 play, while WSU goes to 14-6, 3-4.
USC's opened the first half with a 10-0 run and ended it on a 7-0 rally to lead it 43-25 at halftime, with the Trojans having shot 45.5 percent from the floor to WSU's 33.3 percent. USC was up on the boards 23-13 by the break, with JuJu Watkins holding 21 first-half points for USC through those first 20 minutes. WSU would find ways to chip down USC's advantage in the second half as the Cougars heated up to finish at 45.5 percent from the floor overall, but the Trojans kept the Cougars from getting any closer than the final eight-point margin. USC wrapped up at 36.2 percent shooting and won out on the boards 43-28.
For the 16th time this season, USC's JuJu Watkins was the Trojans' top scorer, finishing with 29 on the night and joined in double figures by McKenzie Forbes' 22 points. Watkins also had a game-high eight rebounds and delivered three blocks and three steals on the defensive end. WSU was led by Tara Wallack's 21 points, with Eleanor Villa adding 12 for the Cougars.
USC peeled out to a 10-0 run out of the gates with Watkins bookending the rally with the opening basket and a 3-pointer while McKenzie Forbes also nailed a three and Taylor Bigby drained two tosses from the start in a well-balanced start for the Trojans. Malia Samuels became the fourth Trojan to score with a slicing take to the hole to net a 17-10 USC lead with 2:20 on the clock after the Cougars had hit their second 3-pointer. Watkins would have the last word, beating the shot clock buzzer to take the Trojans to a 21-12 advantage at the end of the first. WSU wrapped 3-pointers around a three from Kayla Padilla and a three-point play by Watkins to make it 27-18 three minutes into the second. USC's defense responded with a steal and a fine finish from Watkins before Forbes landed a jumper to get USC out to its largest lead to that point, up 31-18 at 5:45. Forbes nailed her third 3-pointer at 3:10. USC would close out the half on a 7-0 run as Watkins scored five straight points herself before Kaitlyn Davis capped things off with a finish in the paint, giving USC a 43-25 halftime advantage.
A Bigby three had USC out to a 20-point lead four minutes into the third before WSU managed a 6-0 rally. Forbes put a stop to that, though, landing her fourth 3-pointer of the night to tug the Trojans to a 54-36 lead at 3:40. Another 6-0 Cougar push trimmed the USC advantage to 54-42, and the fourth quarter was soon underway. WSU got to within 11 points only to see Davis deliver a putback and Forbes pull up for a jumper that pushed USC out ahead 64-49 with 6:20 remaining. It was an eight-point margin with 45 seconds to go the Cougars crafted a 9-1 run while USC came up empty from the floor for almost four minutes, but USC controlled the final stretch to wrap up the 70-62 win over visiting WSU.
NEXT:
USC stays at Galen Center through the weekend to face Washington at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 28).
NOTABLE:
- USC has now won 14 straight home games, which is the longest active home win streak in the Pac-12.
- USC's 43-25 halftime lead marked the largest the Trojans have held against a Pac-12 team this season.
- USC had a season-high 43 rebounds.
- Outrebounding the Cougars 43-28, this marks the first game this season that USC has outrebounded a Pac-12 opponent.
- With 22 points, GS McKenzie Forbes has scored in double digits in the last five games.
- With four 3-pointers made, Forbes has hit at least one three in the past 15 games.
- Forbes tied her season-high with four 3-pointers made.
- With a game-high 29 points, FR JuJu Watkins has scored at least 20 points in 13 games and has led USC in scoring in every game she's played this season (16 games).
- Watkins' 21 first-half points was the most she's scored in a half this season.
- With three steals, Watkins recorded her ninth consecutive game with two or more steals.
- RS SO Taylor Bigby tied her season high of five rebounds.
- With three steals, Bigby tied her career high.
- GS Kayla Padilla recorded her season high of five rebounds