UCLA women’s basketball beats USC in front of sellout crowd to remain unbeaten
LOS ANGELES — The UCLA-USC women’s basketball rivalry was elevated on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 13,659 people at Pauley Pavilion.
No. 2 UCLA still has the upper hand in that rivalry after beating No. 6 USC, 71-64, in an unforgettable Pac-12 opener to remain unbeaten. It’s the Bruins’ ninth straight win over the Trojans and fourth win over a ranked team this season.
“I will boldly say that this was the hottest ticket in any sport male or female today in Southern California,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “That’s saying something.”
Londynn Jones was everywhere for the Bruins (12-0) and finished the game with a team-high 21 points in addition to six rebounds. Lauren Betts added 15 points and eight rebounds and Kiki Rice chipped in 12 points.
Standout freshman Juju Watkins recovered from an unsteady start that had her visibly frustrated to finish with a double-double of 27 points and 11 rebounds for USC (10-1). McKenzie Forbes added 23 points.
“We haven’t faced a team like this so far,” Watkins said. “So it was just getting used to the physicality and I had to slow it down and try to pick it apart.”
The Bruins opened up with an 8-0 lead before Forbes made two free throws to get USC on the scoreboard. They guarded the Trojans tough, especially Watkins, who was averaging 26.8 points per game heading into the matchup.
Watkins was limited to 1-for-5 shooting in the first quarter — but was 4-for-4 on free throws — while UCLA collected a 14-11 lead. At one point, Gabriela Jacquez snatched the ball in front of Watkins’ eyes. She dished it to Charisma Osborne, who was also tasked with guarding Watkins, for a driving layup.
The Trojans called a timeout immediately after. USC’s pace rose with Watkins in the second quarter. She completed a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer at the start of the frame to pull her team ahead.
“Juju’s ability in real-time with all this stuff coming at her to just figure it out is really impressive.” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
“I saw that the first time we did a closed scrimmage when we went and played arguably the best man-to-man defensive team in the country: Texas. And her first time putting on this uniform, even then, i saw her adjust in real time.”
Betts made a layup to break the streak and tie the game at 17-all. UCLA fought for points under the net and finished the game with 26 points in the paint.
Angela Dugalić (eight points, seven rebounds) hit a deep 3-pointer with 37 seconds until halftime to get UCLA a 38-37 advantage. Watkins had reached 18 points by the break to lead USC and Londynn Jones led UCLA with 11 points while pulling down four rebounds at that stage of the game.
The Bruins outscored the Trojans 20-14 in the third quarter, but USC kept coming back and trailed by seven points heading into the fourth. UCLA’s scoring depth was in for the long haul, though, and held USC off for the remainder of the game.
“You’ve heard me say this over and over again, but it’s sometimes you, sometimes me, always us,” Close said. “That’s easy to have a little ring in the slogan but it’s hard to live out when maybe something doesn’t go your way. And that’s what I’m most proud. That we have balance.”
Charisma Osborne (10 points) contemplated shooting a 3-pointer, but passed the ball to Lauren Betts as the shot clock neared expiration. Betts made the layup for a 65-61 lead and remind the USC of her team’s dominance in the paint and overall physicality.
“We have the best practice players of all time and the guys do not take it easy on us,” Betts said. “That physicality starts in practice and it’s going against them every day.”
Additional rows of courtside seating as well as extra staff for security, ushers and concessions were brought in to accommodate the game’s sellout attendance and four food trucks were stationed outside.
A crowd of UCLA women’s basketball alumni were recognized at halfcourt during a break in the game, and Russell and Nina Westbrook came out to support, as well.
“If you’re if you’re not on the woman’s basketball sports train, then you’re late,” Gottlieb said. “It’s unbelievable to have little girls, little boys, the community, all types of people here to see strong women compete. I think we don’t shy away from that attention.”