Jazzy Davidson glanced up at the basket, with less than two minutes remaining in USC’s Big Ten opener against Washington, and considered her options. Nothing had fallen all night from three-point range for the Trojans. It took 25 minutes Saturday just to see one three-pointer drop, and only two had dropped the entire night.
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 space she needed. She raced past her defender and toward the basket, lifting up for a finger roll lay-in that would propel USC past Washington for good in a 59-50 victory.
It was coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s 100th win with the Trojans.
All game long, No. 16 USC (7-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) and No. 21 Washington (8-1, 0-1) had battled, neither team ever 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 Trojan guard Avery Howell, who scored 11 points after the half, would keep Washington within striking distance until the final minutes.
But USC refused to back down. With under five minutes, Londynn Jones forced a turnover, dove for a loose ball and started a breakaway that was finished by Kara Dunn. Kennedy Smith hit a turnaround jumper in the paint on the next trip down. And then with less than two minutes, Davidson took off through the lane, extending the lead to five.
It was a furious end to what had otherwise been an ugly night offensively. USC finished 23 of 60 from the field after starting two of 17. It never quite found its stride from deep, either, hitting just two of 17 also.
Davidson would lead the way with 22 points, while Smith was the only other Trojan in double figures with 13.
Nothing fell for USC early on, setting the tone for a tough defensive battle. For the first 8:31, the Trojans were held scoreless. They missed their first 11 shots. Davidson missed her first five attempts.
But as its offense struggled early, USC’s stifling 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.
USC would finally shake off the slow start in the second, as Davidson and Smith found their stride, shooting five of six in the quarter. The Trojans climbed back accordingly and tied the score just before the half.
They’d fly out into the lead a few minutes after that, never quite letting Washington catch up.
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