Jazzy Davidson looked at the basket less than two minutes before the start of USC's Big Ten matchup and considered her options in a split second. From 3-point range, the Trojans had almost nothing come up. It took 25 minutes Sunday to see just one 3-pointer, and the Trojans made just two.
But the mere threat of the freshman coming off shooting, even on a night full of defensive struggles, was enough to give Davidson the little bit of space she needed. Pausing, she raced past her defender toward the basket, picking it up and making a finger roll that knocked the ball away. USC past Washington in victory 59-50.
The victory was more than just a big statement for USC ahead of its heavyweight showdown with No. 1 Connecticut next Saturday. It also marked a milestone for Lindsay Gottlieb, who became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins.
Washington won't make it easy. #16 USC (7-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) and No. 21 Washington (8-1, 0-1) battled with neither team able to build a double-digit lead. The Trojans took the lead in the third quarter, but any attempt to pull away was squashed by the Huskies.
A late flurry of a familiar face in former Trojans guard Avery Howell, who scored 13 of her 16 points after halftime, kept Washington within striking distance until the final minute.
But USC refused to back down. With less than five minutes left in the game, Londynn Jones made a pass, dove for a loose ball and started a fast break that was completed by Kara Dunn. Kennedy Smith, who scored 13 points, hit the paint on a spinning jumper on his next drive. And then, with less than two minutes left, Davidson came down the lane to extend the lead to five.
“I saw determination in our team,” Gottlieb said. “I knew we could make the next stop. I knew we could make the next play.”
It was a furious end to what had otherwise been a brutal battle between Big Ten foes. USC finished 23 of 60 from the field after starting 2 of 17. The Trojans also never found success from deep, making just two of 17 threes.
Davidson, in particular, started the game without any rhythm on offense. She started 0-for-5 and was icy from the perimeter. But the freshman made 10 of her final 16 shots and finished with a career-high 22 points to go with 12 rebounds.
“There are nights like this,” Davidson said. “Sometimes you just miss it. Those shots you make 9 out of 10 times, just keep making them.”
That was USC's thinking early on, as the Trojans weren't in any danger. They remained scoreless for the first eight and a half minutes as it seemed that no one was immune from the team's general slump.
But with the offense struggling, USC's defense did its part to muddle the game. At the end of the quarter, neither team had an accuracy better than 16%. They combined for just 12 points in the first 10 minutes.
Gottlieb was especially proud of that stretch, even though USC struggled to find a hoop. However, the Trojans' defense never allowed the initial deficit to build. By half-time they had leveled the score.
“I think the fact that we didn't score for 8 1/2 minutes, didn't lose our spirit and were only down by four says a lot about who we've become and are trying to become,” Gottlieb said.
USC's renewed recruiting efforts also made an impression after assistant coach Beth Burns urged the team to get better on the boards. The Trojans finished the game with 50 rebounds, a dozen more than their opponents.
That extra effort proved crucial as USC held on against the Huskies, starting its Big Ten run with its most convincing win of the season to date.
