Los Angeles, CA—JuJu Watkins winced, shaking her left hand, as the basketball world collectively held its breath. USC’s NCAA tournament debut had already been a rocky one, with errant passes, missed jumpers, and No. 16-seed North Carolina Greensboro proving to be a tougher opponent than many had anticipated. The Spartans had come to play, living up to their promise to “shock the world,” making things difficult for the top-seeded Trojans.
Then, early in the second quarter, Watkins went up for a rebound and emerged wincing in pain, holding her left hand. The sight immediately brought up thoughts of the worst-case scenario. Thankfully, Watkins shook off the discomfort, and a stifling USC defense quickly put a stop to Greensboro’s spirited start. The Trojans eventually cruised to a 71-25 victory, advancing to the NCAA tournament’s second round, where they’ll face ninth-seeded Mississippi State on Monday at 7 p.m. PDT.
“We had some rust to get off,” Watkins said after the game. “Hopefully, that’s all done with.”
Despite the pain, Watkins still led USC with 22 points, though her journey wasn’t without hurdles. After landing awkwardly in the third quarter, Watkins limped to the locker room, only to return in time for the fourth quarter.
At that point, the game was all but decided, and it raised the question of whether it was wise for USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb to risk further injury by keeping Watkins in. When asked about that decision, Gottlieb expressed trust in both Watkins’ judgment and the assessment of the team’s trainers, all of whom confirmed she was cleared to play.
Watkins limped into the postgame press conference but reiterated that she was “all good.” “It’s the end of the season,” she said. “Body’s a little banged up, but on to the next. Nobody really cares, so on to the next.”
USC didn’t need Watkins at her best to overcome Greensboro. In fact, the Trojans didn’t need much offense at all, thanks to a defense that dominated from the second quarter onward. They allowed just four field goals after the first quarter and took control of the game with relentless pressure.
It didn’t start smoothly for USC, though. The Trojans looked disjointed in the opening quarter, uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball. They committed three turnovers within the first three minutes and struggled to capitalize on their significant size advantage in the paint. With two minutes left in the second quarter, USC’s lead was a mere two points.
“We haven’t played in two weeks,” Gottlieb said. “You’ve got to credit the other team for trying to disrupt our flow, but we also have to learn how to regain it when teams take things away from us.”
Offensively, USC never truly found its rhythm. Outside of Watkins, the Trojans struggled, shooting just 19-of-55 from the field. Kiki Iriafen, a third-team All-American, didn’t score for the first 18 minutes and finished with just 13 points as Greensboro made it difficult for her down low. The Trojans also committed 17 turnovers.
But USC’s defense was so dominant that it was more than enough to secure the win, even without firing on all cylinders offensively. “Defense was our calling card,” Gottlieb said.
The turnaround came early in the second quarter when Gottlieb deployed full-court pressure. With 6-foot-4 forward Rayah Marshall leading the charge, the Trojans suffocated the Greensboro offense. The Spartans struggled to get the ball past half-court and were unable to score from the field in the second quarter.
Marshall was a key factor, finishing with seven blocks and two steals. In the third quarter, Greensboro managed just one three-pointer, and that was it.
By that time, USC was already emptying its bench and coasting toward the second round. The Trojans’ defense allowed just 17 points in the final three quarters and held Greensboro to a dismal 13% shooting from the field— the worst shooting percentage by any USC opponent this season.
Greensboro’s 25 points were the second fewest ever in a women’s NCAA tournament game, just four shy of the record.
While USC’s shaky offensive performance might not be enough to win against tougher teams in the upcoming rounds, their suffocating defense was more than enough to secure the win in this opening matchup.
