USC Women's Basketball Dominates, Up to Sweet Fifteen

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA—In a commanding display of defensive prowess, the USC ladies's basketball group, seeded at the top, dominated both the hole and final quarters against the eighth-seeded Kansas, limiting them to a season-low fifty five points. This victory propelled the Trojans to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 3 many years, clinching a powerful 73-55 conquer the Jayhawks on the Galen Center tonight. With an audience of eight,941 in attendance, JuJu Watkins of USC showcased her abilties with a double-double performance, while McKenzie Forbes contributed substantially with six successful three-hints out of USC's season-high tally of thirteen. With this win, USC advances with an outstanding universal report of 28-five, putting their points of interest on Portland, Oregon, in which they may rectangular off towards the 5th-seeded Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen showdown.

USC went on to hit eight 3-pointers in the first half and established a commanding 33-24 lead at halftime. The Trojans maintained control of the first 20 minutes, benefiting from 16 points off 12 Jayhawk turnovers. Notably, USC displayed better accuracy from beyond the arc, shooting at a clip of 42.1 percent compared to their field goal percentage of 35.3 In contrast, Kansas struggled, managing just one successful 3-pointer and 34.6 percent shooting overall. Despite falling behind in points, the Jayhawks held the edge in rebounding at halftime, leading 23-16.

Although Kansas continued to dominate on the boards, finishing with a slim 40-39 rebounding advantage, USC put up a strong offensive performance, posting a 37.3 percent shooting rate and a total of 13 three-pointers finished the game In contrast, Kansas Finished with 35.7 percent on overall shooting and committed 18 turnovers, allowing USC to convert those crucial 25 points

Watkins sparked USC’s offense, scoring the first seven points of the game, including a crucial 3-pointer. Kansas was able to get on the board with two free throws, followed by its first field goal in a while, but Watkins held the USC lead at 7-4 with less than 15 seconds left when Rayah Marshall scored well, and Watkins canceled it out Mackenzie Forbes It extended the lead with a steal and a three-pointer, giving USC a 12-5 advantage Although Kansas closed the gap to three points on a 12-9 run, USC did responded by building up his defense. Clarice Akunwafo’s block and steal rekindled USC’s offense. Marshall contributed another point, and Kayla Padilla sank her third 3-pointer of the quarter after forcing a Jayhawk shot clock violation, taking a 17-9 lead after the first 10 minutes.