USC upsets Stanford 74-61 to win Pac-12 Championship

USC Trojans #25 McKenzie Forbes (G/F) looking over the Stanford Cardinal’s defense. Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs.

 LAS VEGAS, NV – In a matchup of two of the top five teams in the nation, the USC Trojans (26-5) upset the Stanford Cardinal (28-5) to win the final Pac-12 championship 74-61 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Despite freshman phenom Juju Watkins scoring a career-high 51 points in their last matchup against the Cardinal in February, Watkins was held to only two baskets tonight. Fortunately for the Trojans, senior McKenzie Forbes stepped up huge with 26 points. All-American Cameron Brink led the Cardinal with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocks.

Forbes opened the game by draining a three-pointer on the opening possession of the game to give USC a 3-0. Stanford answered that basket as Brink nailed a 23-footer from the corner to tie the game 3-3 with 9:19 remaining in the first quarter.

The teams traded five consecutive three-pointers in total to start the game, with the first two-point basket coming off a Forbes layup with 4:49 left in the first quarter to give USC an 11-6 lead.

2024 Pac12 Tournament Champions USC Trojans. Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs.

There were a combined seven three-pointers in the first quarter as the Trojans took a 22-17 lead into the second quarter.

The Trojans continued feeding Forbes in the second quarter, and she ended up with 14 points at halftime, including hitting a buzzer-beating floater in the closing seconds to take a 40-31 lead into the half. Watkins only had two points in the first two quarters, but the team's all-around play kept them on top.

In the third quarter, Forbes was still clicking on all cylinders, draining a step-back jumper as the lead grew to double digits, 50-37, with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter.

"I've never felt like this," said Forbes of her hot hand. "It was the best feeling in the world!"

The women of Troy's stifling defense and interior rebounding allowed them to coast to the 74-61 victory as USC won the final Pac-12 championship, the second in Trojan history.

USC Trojans #12 JuJu Watkins (G) is going strong toward the basket against several Stanford Cardinal defenders. Photo by DeAngelo Scruggs.

Rayah Marshall had a tall task matching up against 6'4" superstar Brink but rose to the task snatching up 18 rebounds, which were a difference-maker as USC outrebounded Stanford 44-22.

"We fought our best, and the shots just didn't fall for us," said Brink. "I think we tried our best, and they just had a really good game. So, props to them, they're a great team."

Watkins finished with only nine points and missed 13 of her 15 shots on the night. It was the first time in her career that she was held to single digits. After scoring 51 in their last meeting, Watkins found herself consistently facing double, triple and even quadruple-teams nearly every time she touched the ball.

"Nothing really surprises me at this point," said Watkins. "We're more of a team now. It's all coming together, everybody on the court is dangerous. This is not a one-person show, and today was definitely an example of that."

Despite the off night for Watkins, the freshman ends her regular season on a high note, breaking Caitlyn Clark's freshman scoring record and taking home the conference title.

The women of Troy will now wait for the NCAA tournament seedings to come out next week as they hope to build upon their conference championship momentum, propelling them into the tournament.