USC Women’s basketball hustles its way back into the win column

USC Trojans #12 JuJu Watkins (G) pushing the basketball upcourt. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - USC women’s basketball (14-3, 4-3 Pac-12) have found themselves back on top with a 70-62 win over Washington State (14-7, 5-5 Pac-12).

Students were thrilled to watch Watkins end the Trojans’ two-game slump, as USC played in front of its second-largest home crowd of the season.

“There’s people that have been here, and there’s people coming to their first time ever watching women’s basketball,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

The Trojans started hot with a 10-0 run led by guard JuJu Watkins.

“I thought we did a great job out of the gates and really asserted ourselves,” Gottlieb said.

The freshman standout would continue to dominate Washington State with a 21-point first half, largely from her golden ability to lead the team in transition. The Trojans recorded 20 points off fast breaks through all four quarters, compared to three for the Cougars.

While Watkins was busy sizing up Washington State in the paint, graduate guard McKenzie Forbes took creative liberty in finding her way around the arc and shot 3-of-5 from deep in the first half. Forbes finished the game with 22 points on 8 of 18 shooting and added four rebounds and three assists.

Sparked by several trips to the charity stripe from Watkins, USC ended the first half with a crowd-pleasing 7-0 run and entered halftime with a 43-25 lead.

It was all Watkins and Forbes in the first half, as they combined for 34 of the 43 first-half points. No other Trojan recorded more than one made field goal.

“I’m proud of these two,” Gottlieb said. “They’re incredible shot-makers and just players.”

Washington State Cougars #1 Tara Wallack (G) going up for a right-handed layup. Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.

From there, USC forced Washington State to play catch up, and the Cougars were up for the challenge.

The Trojans continued to out-hustle the Cougars in the third quarter, grabbing six offensive rebounds and putting up 20 shots. But their hot hands turned cold, as they only made four of these shots and allowed the Cougars to cut the lead to 12 by the end of the quarter.

With tension rising, USC entered the fourth quarter with zero momentum in its favor. The poor shooting persisted in the final period, which featured a 2 for 7-streak from Watkins and a 2 for 6 effort from Forbes.

Watkins struggled all half, totaling eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

“I’m just trying to make the right plays and be more careful with my shot selection,” Watkins said.

USC Trojans #1 Mckenzie Forbes (G/F) is going around a screen set by her teammate # 24 Kaitlyn Davis (F). Photo by Rashad Griffin/TGSportstv1.

But Watkins’ electric first half allowed her to finish the contest with a team-leading 29 points on 10-of-27 shooting, as well as seven rebounds and two assists.

The lackluster second half destroyed the Trojans’ efficiency, as USC shot 36.2% from the field through four quarters and allowed a 45.5% rate from Washington State.

The saving grace for the Trojans was the hustle plays, as they recorded 16 offensive rebounds and held the Cougars to two. USC took 14 more shots than Washington State, which proved critical.

The Trojans are a perfect 11-0 at home this season and look to maintain their undefeated status at home as they host Washington (12-6, 2-5 Pac-12) Sunday at noon at Galen Center.