LOS ANGELES, CA — Sunday’s senior day rivalry matchup between USC and UCLA closely resembled the two teams’ first meeting earlier this year, unfortunately for the Trojans. In the Jan. 3 contest, the Bruins shut down the Trojans 80-46, with a defensive performance that resulted in USC shooting only 27% from the floor. On Sunday, UCLA leapt out to a 13-4 lead in the first five minutes, signaling the start of some major challenges for the Trojans on their home court. After a quarter of play, USC had committed six turnovers, and UCLA already had five offensive rebounds.
The Trojans’ defensive scheme was clear: pressure the ball, double Lauren Betts from the weak side, and remain as physical as possible despite being outsized by the Bruins. There were plenty of hustle plays and deflections that unfortunately didn’t end up in their possessions or resulting in buckets. They demonstrated energy that felt like a level up from the January matchup, hounding the ball every time it reached Betts after she knocked in 18 points in the teams’ first matchup. It was successful: Betts only had five points on 2-10 shooting, despite a whopping 9 offensive rebounds.
“We swarmed her,” said USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb following the matchup.
Alas, UCLA’s offensive weapons don’t stop at their star center. Graduate transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker — hailed by UCLA Coach Cori Close as the team’s connective tissue following the game — finished the game with 20 points in an offensive performance reminiscent of her time leading Washington State. As a Cougar, she averaged 16.5 points in four seasons but has taken on more of a facilitator role for the Bruins this season.
“Any time we come out and we’re connected and playing together, we know that we can win any game we play out there. Coming in and having that same mindset of […] 1-0. We’re not thinking of past success or games we’ve had or what’s to come in the future, just what we need to do to execute our game plan,” Leger-Walker told reporters after the game.
Coach Close spoke to her point guard’s role after the game, touting her ability to keep the team together on and off the court, and to her versatility moving from a score-first point guard at Washington State to more of a facilitator role on a talented Bruins team. “I think we’ve been really trying to get Charlisse to think about not only her ability to get everybody involved and have our teamwork be in sync,” Coach Close said. “But for her to make the right basketball play, to be aggressive for her own shot as well, and I think she’s getting into a good rhythm for that.”
She added that she couldn’t “pick up the phone fast enough” when Leger-Walker entered the portal at the close of the 2024 season.
USC’s Jazzy Davidson currently leads the Trojans in all categories and is a candidate for both Freshman of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year. She picked up three quick fouls in a physical and fast-paced game, however, and was sidelined for the majority of the first half.
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While USC started the second half with a 9-0 run consisting of two three-pointers from Kara Dunn and an athletic and-one from Davidson, the momentum didn’t stay with the Trojans for long. Davidson had to play less aggressively on defense given her foul count and USC was unable to string together enough stops to keep themselves in the game. UCLA extended the lead to 71-42 with 4:56 left in the game after converting two USC turnovers, taking the wind out of the home team’s sails.
The rebounding margin told the story both in both contests. On Sunday, UCLA out-rebounded USC 47-22, including 22 offensive boards. Eerily similar to a 46-26 stat line in January. When asked postgame, Coach Gottlieb gave a quick answer on how they could do better: “Box out.”
While USC is staunchly focused on finishing out this season strong — Gottlieb repeatedly told reporters she thinks they have a “scary” team to face in March. There’s also already excitement building for next season, which will include a healthy JuJu Watkins and an experienced Jazzy Davidson, as well as support from star recruits like Sitaya Fagan and Saniyah Hall. Perhaps it will be a time for a USC rebuild. Before Sunday’s game, USC seniors were honored, including all five starters.
“We have not won as many games as I want to win, and we’ve had some really good wins, and we’ve had some tough stretches, but I think we’re primed, to do what this team can do in March. […] We’re a program you want to be around, and the attention is high, and we have exciting players, and we have a brand of basketball that people want to see,” said Coach Gottlieb.
USC and UCLA will both head to Indianapolis this week to play in the Big Ten tournament as a No. 9 seed and No.1 seed, respectively. UCLA will aim to defend its title and clinch the first regular season undefeated Big Ten season in 11 years. USC will play No. 8 seed Washington, before a potential matchup with — you guessed it — cross-town rival UCLA.
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