Arizona hands UCLA fifth straight loss dismantling the Bruins 88-65

USC Trojans #12 JuJu Watkins (G) driving in the key toward the basket. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

 LOS ANGELES-- The Trojans are gearing up for their final regular season home game after defeating Colorado on Friday night saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end, losing to the Utah Utes 74-68 at the Galen Center.

The Utes, ranked No. 18 in the nation, started off strong with a 7-2 run. Despite missing her first two shots, Watkins struggled early on to find her rhythm. Alyssa Pili made a remarkable return to the Galen Center, having previously played for three seasons with the Trojans.

Pili was instrumental in opening the quarter with the first seven points for the Utes. As a result, the Utes took a 14-6 lead into the second quarter, and they managed to limit Watkins to just two points in the first quarter.

During the second quarter, Watkins scored six points, blocked Lani White, and made an excellent pass to McKenzie Forbes for a three-pointer while transitioning, which helped to reduce the lead by two points.

Unfortunately, the Trojans were struggling as they only made 1 out of 9 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half, whereas the Utes made 6 out of 14. Although Watkins missed all three of their three-point attempts, she still managed to score 10 points and grabbed two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks in the first half.

The Utes maintained a strong lead and were up by as much as ten points early in the second quarter, making it challenging for the Trojans to catch up. Maty Wilke had an efficient first half, scoring 11 points on 4 of 7 field goal attempts, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Utah Utes #35 Alissa Pili is about to make move toward the basket. Photo by William Johnson/TGSportstv1.

Pili scored seven points in the first quarter and held to just two points in the second quarter. Forbes played the entire first half and contributed seven points and two rebounds, but only made 1 of 4 three-point attempts.

At one point in the second quarter, the Trojans allowed back-to-back three-pointers from the Utes, causing Coach Gottlieb to look to her bench for Watkins, who was nowhere to be found. Gottlieb sent an assistant coach to check on her, and Watkins was out of the game for about five minutes. When she returned, she immediately boosted her team and helped trim the lead to 34-28 by halftime.

In the third quarter, the Trojans didn't start well as Kayla Padilla shot an airball right in front of her bench and remained scoreless. However, Kayla Williams provided a spark for the Trojans on defense, helping them cut the lead to 39-35 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

USC was able to tie the game at 41-41, but the Utes quickly responded with a 7-0 run late in the third quarter. Kennedy McQueen of the Utes had an impressive performance, scoring 13 points through the first three quarters.

As the third quarter ended, Watkins expressed her frustration while walking towards the bench. She had gone 4 of 19 from the field. Last Sunday, the Trojans played against Oregon State, and Watkins had an off night as well, shooting 6 of 32 from the field. Nevertheless, she finished with 18 points in the 58-50 win against Oregon State.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Watkins scored five points, reducing the lead to 52-50. Moment later, she hit a three-pointer from the top of the key as Pili continued to pound the ball down low to keep her team ahead of USC in the fourth quarter.

Padilla scored her first points with 3:28 by hitting a three from the wing. Watkins played a great game and scored 18 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter to keep her team within reach. With 1:05 remaining on the clock, Pili drove to the basket and scored, giving the Utes a 69-63 lead. The former Trojan, Pili, disrupted the Trojans' seven-game winning streak by leading the Utes to victory.

During a timeout with less than a minute left on the clock, Forbes was seen talking to Padilla and Watkins about the previous play, as the referees did not make the right call. Forbes hit a three-pointer right after the timeout, cutting the lead to 70-66. Pili hit one of her two free throws, and Watkins hit both of hers, leading the Utes to a 71-68 lead.

The Trojans quickly fouled Pili, who made both free throws, giving her a total of 22 points on the night and a 73-68 lead with only 13.8 seconds left in the game. Watkins was fouled late in the game and missed her first free throw. Padilla was called for a lane violation, and the second point was waived off.

Utah came to the Galen Center intending to end the home team's seven-game winning streak and take the win, which showed in the first quarter. Despite the efforts of Watkins, who scored 30 points during the game, the team lost 74-68.

Kayla Williams was the only bench player to score for the team, while Kaitlyn Davis scored 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists without missing a single shot. Unfortunately, Davis fouled out late in the game. However, Coach Gottlieb praised her performance in the post-game interview.

"She guarded the toughest cover, who is not on our team and in this league." Coach Gottlieb on Davis fouling out in the 4th quarter.

During the game between Utah and USC, Gottlieb praised the former Trojan for making 12 out of 14 free throws. However, she also mentioned that Utah's 11 three-pointers were the problem in the game, compared to USC's 4. Utah controlled the game's tempo from the beginning, limiting USC to only six points in the first quarter.

"That first quarter, we obviously struggled offensively and couldn't get it going. The good of a team to be playing from behind."

The Trojans are scheduled to travel to Arizona to play against the Wildcats on Thursday night. This game will be the second to last match of the season for the Trojans. The team will be looking to bounce back from their recent loss and earn a victory against the Wildcats.

The game is expected to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams eager to secure a win. It will be interesting to see how the Trojans will perform in this important game, and whether they will be able to finish the season on a high note.