After her worst loss in five seasons on USCLindsey Gottlieb turned on the film about the Trojans loss by 34 points at UCLA last weekend and found herself even more furious than she was on Saturday night. In retrospect, her team's lack of effort was worrying. In the days that followed, she repeated this thought over and over again.
But three days later, the “hard lessons” the coach had hoped to learn from that loss seemed to be forgotten in the final five minutes of Tuesday's game against Oregon. What at one point looked like a surefire win over the Ducks heading into the final stretch of the fourth quarter instead turned into a disastrous victory. defeat 71-66 this made Gottlieb shake his head.
For USC's coach, who hasn't missed back-to-back games since January 2024, it was “about as upset a loss as we've had in this building.”
This could be a fork in the road for her team heading into this season. Either for the better or for the worse.
“I think it’s time for something to change,” said defender Kara Dunn. “We need a change of heart, a change of mind.”
Until the 4:46 mark of Tuesday's fourth quarter, the Trojans (10-5, 2-2 in the Big Ten) looked well on their way to stopping their skid following Saturday's brutal loss to their bitter rival the Bruins. Just as Oregon began its run, Londynn Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to silence it. Freshman Jazzy Davidson stopped on the next possession and hit a jumper to extend No. 21 USC's lead to nine. It was her only basket of the second half as she made five of her 20 field goals for 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.
Those were the last two baskets the Trojans scored on Tuesday. Oregon's Ari Long made a 3-pointer but dropped another on the next possession. The crowd in the Galen Center groaned, seemingly knowing what was coming next.
From there, it played out like a slow-motion car crash, with both teams tied at 66 but all the momentum leaving the building. Dunn, who finished as top scorer with 21 goals, was banned. On her next drive, Jones drove to the rim, was hit and fell to the ground. Davidson then turned the ball over.
Coming out of a timeout, Long caught a pass in the corner and missed another 3-pointer. This one, her third in a 2:12 span, will be the dagger.
Of course, up to this point, USC had many chances to pull away. The team led by 16 points at halftime and led by nine points midway through the fourth quarter.
But in the second half, Gottlieb saw a different behavior from his team that he didn't particularly like. This reminded her of Saturday's defeat, and after that she reported it to her team.
“We walked out like we arrived, like we had everything in the bag,” Gottlieb said. “We were too casual.”
It didn't help that USC was without sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, its best defender and emotional leader, who didn't play because of a calf injury. She remains “day-to-day,” Gottlieb said.
USC certainly could have used it in the second half, as Oregon scored 50 points compared to 21 before halftime.
“It was disgusting in every way: the way we acted when we had the lead, the way we acted when they cut our lead,” Gottlieb said.
But it's not just about protection. Gottlieb was particularly unhappy with the Trojans' choice, which she called “ridiculous” and “very, very bad.” USC made just nine shots after halftime and only three in the fourth quarter.
It finally caught up with them. And now, at the top of USC's Big Ten roster, Gottlieb finds herself in a place she hasn't been in a long time: Her team is falling, the schedule is tightening, and the season is suddenly heading in the wrong direction.
