Women’s Basketball | November 27, 2023
#6 USC (5-0) vs. Cal Poly (2-4)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Tuesday, Nov. 28 | 7 p.m.
Series Record (since 1975-76): USC leads 2-0
Last Meeting: W 76-52 [12/17/76 • Pomona]
STREAM | STATS
#6 USC vs. San Diego (3-3)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Sunday, Dec. 3 | 3 p.m.
Series Record (since 2000-01): USC leads 4-0
Last Meeting: W 58-50 [11/15/22 • San Diego]
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
After a successful business trip to the Bahamas, No. 6 USC is back in California, where the Trojans (5-0) will stay in-state for the next nine games. The stateside stretch begins with a Tuesday (Nov. 28) meeting with Cal Poly (2-4) at 7 p.m followed by a 3 p.m. clash with San Diego (3-3) on Sunday (Dec. 3) at Galen Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
USC’s next two games at Galen Center are streamed live at pac-12.com/live/usc.
IN THE POLLS
USC’s No. 21 preseason national ranking marked the fourth time the Trojans have appeared in preseason AP and USA Today polls since 2005. It’s the highest preseason ranking for USC in that span, following No. 23 in 2011, No. 22 and 2006 and No. 24 (AP) and No. 22 (USA Today) in 2005. As of the most recent AP polls (Nov. 27), USC has risen from No. 8 to No. 6 in the AP poll. In the nation’s top 10 for the third straight week, the Trojans are enjoying their highest AP ranking since reaching No. 4 during the 1994 season.
LAST ACTION
Even a six-minute scoring slump wasn’t enough to shake JuJu Watkins and No. 8 USC, who watched a seven-point lead melt away at the hands of a fierce Penn State squad in the fourth quarter. The Trojans trailed by six until Watkins broke the silence with two minutes to go, shouldering the load and scoring the final seven points of the game as USC topped the Nittany Lions 71-70 to stay perfect on the year at 5-0. Watkins finished with her first career double-double on 31 points and 12 rebounds, as USC capped a victorious visit to the Bahamas at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Classic. in Nassaum. The lead changed hands 11 times in the first half, with USC shrugging off an early 9-0 run by the Nittany Lions and getting the last word of the half with a buzzer-beating bucket from half court by JuJu Watkins, lifting USC ahead 35-34 at the break. USC was shooting 41.4 percent from the floor to that point, just a beat behind Penn State’s 41.7 percent effort. USC also had the edge on the boards 21-17 through those first 20 minutes. The intense competition continued, with USC wrapping up at 40.4 percent overall from the floor and PSU at 40.6. USC was 9-of-18 from 3-point range to outpace PSU’s 5-of-16 effort, and USC wound up ahead on the boards 37-34. Freshman Watkins’ 31 points led all scorers on the night, and marked the most points by any player in a game at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Classic. She went 11-of-14 from the free-throw line and secured her first double-double as a Trojan with her game-high 12 rebounds. Rayah Marshall also notched a double-double — her third of the season and 23rd of her career — with 11 points and 10 boards. Penn State had three players finish in double digits, led by an 18-point effort from Shay Ciezki along with 10 points apiece from Makenna Marisa and Kylie Lavelle.
NOTABLE:
– USC’s No. 8 ranking in the AP poll is its highest national ranking since a No. 7 spot in 1994.
– With a game-high 31 points and 12 rebounds, FR JuJu Watkins recorded her first career double-double.
– Watkins’ 31-point outing was the third of her USC career, matching the freshman record hit by Lisa Leslie in 1990-91 and Paula McGee in 1980-81 — two Trojan greats who recorded three 30-point outings in their freshman years.
– With 11 points and 10 rebounds, JR Rayah Marshall recorded her third double-double of the season and 23rd of her USC career.
– GS Kayla Padilla made a season-high three 3-pointers.
– With its fourth straight win over the Nittany Lions, USC is now 4-1 all-time against Penn State in a series dating back to 1979-80.
– USC was without starter Kaitlyn Davis due to injury. She is day-to-day..
TRIPLE THREAT
JuJu Watkins continues to pile up honors as her collegiate career commences, as she has grabbed Pac-12 Freshman of the Week accolades in each of her first three weeks of action with the now-No. 6 Women of Troy. She is the seventh Trojan to earn the award, and has helped make a grand total of 14 such honors for USC. With 26.2 points per game, Watkins currently ranks No. 3 in the nation in scoring, and she is No. 26 in 3-point percentage at .500.
WEEK THREE
Watkins’ third Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selection came after helping USC stay undefeated at 5-0 with two wins at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in the Bahamas. She scored a team-high 15 points in USC’s 64-54 win over Seton Hall, and then notched her third 30-point game and first double-double of the season with 31 points and 12 rebounds in a tense win over Penn State. Watkins scored the last seven straight points of that, including the game-winning basket, as USC recorded a 71-70 comeback win. Watkins’ 31-point outing matched a freshman record hit by Lisa Leslie in 1990-91 and Paula McGee in 1980-81 — two Trojan greats who recorded three 30-point outings in their freshman seasons. With 131 points scored for the 5-0 Trojans, Watkins has scored more points in her first five games as a Trojan than Cheryl Miller (104) and Lisa Leslie (109) did in their first five games at USC.
WEEK TWO
Watkins became the first USC freshman to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors in consecutive weeks with her second pick on Nov. 20. In a meeting with Le Moyne, Watkins put up 35 points, making six 3-pointers to go along with nine rebounds and six assists — all new highs for her as a Trojan. Her 35-point outing pushed her three-game total as a Trojan to 85 points — more than Cheryl Miller (67) and Lisa Leslie (64) did in their first three games at USC. It also was the second highest single-game scoring effort by a USC freshman (Cheryl Miller scored 39 vs. Northwestern on Nov. 30, 1982). Watkins’ six 3-pointers made in USC’s 93-42 win over the Dolphins tied for the second most threes made in a game by a Trojan. What’s more, Watkins’ 35 points marked her second 30-plus outing in her first three games, making Watkins the first freshman in 25 years to record multiple 30-point games in her first three games.
WEEK ONE
Watkins secured the first Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors of the season along with national acclaim as USBWA Tamika Catchings Freshman of the Week. In her USC debut, Watkins had pinned up 32 points on No. 7 Ohio State, setting a program record for points scored by a freshman in a debut and marking the third most points scored in any game by a USC freshman. Watkins’ 32-point effort to start her freshman season helped USC to its first season-opening victory over a ranked opponent since 1990, when a No. 25 USC team upset No. 7 Texas 88-77 (11/25/90). That effort beat out Lisa Leslie’s 30-point effort in her first game as a USC freshman — recorded in that aforementioned 1990 season opener — to set a new USC record for points scored in a freshman debut. Only two other USC freshmen have scored more than 32 points in any game — Cheryl Miller (39 points vs. Northwestern, 11/30/82) and Lisa Leslie (33 points at Cal, 1/17/91). In USC’s home opener days later, Watkins tallied a team-high 18 points in a 67-51 win over Florida Gulf Coast at Galen Center. That effort pushed her to 50 total points in her first two games as a Trojan — also achieved by Trojan great Cheryl Miller as a freshman in 1982.
GREAT SHOW AT GALEN OPENER
USC drew its largest Galen Center crowd since 2010 in the Trojans’ home opener on Friday (Nov. 10), picking up its second win of the season on a 67-51 victory over visiting Florida Gulf Coast. All 11 available Women of Troy got in the game, with Aaliyah Gayles and Roxane Makolo both making their USC debuts in the victory. Also at the game, USC honored the 1984 NCAA Championship team, which claimed back-to-back NCAA titles with a roster of legends including Cheryl Miller and Pamela and Paula McGee, who were in attendance at the game. USC recovered from a slow start to the game, falling behind 9-0 and then heating up to go 48-percent from the floor by halftime and lead it 33-19 at the break. USC’s defense forced four shot-clock violations out of FGCU in the first half, and the Eagles were at 29 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes of play. FGCU was ahead on the board, however, leading 20-14, but USC’s scoring depth of six different scorers helped keep the Trojans out ahead. FGCU got to within five early in the third, but USC manufactured a steady push and would lead it by 20 entering the fourth. By the final buzzer, USC’s second win of the season was in the books, with the Trojans having gone 45 percent from the floor to outpace the Eagles’ 32.1 percent. FCGU won the battle of the boards 39-34, but the Trojans dished out 18 assists and nabbed 10 steals to keep USC’s momentum going. USC received 18-point outings from both Rayah Marshall and JuJu Watkins, who has now generated 50 points in her first two games at USC — matching the total that Trojan great Cheryl Miller put up in her opening games as a freshman. FGCU had Maddie Antenucci score a game-high 19 points, and Uju Ezeudu led all on the boards with 11 rebounds.
NOTABLE:
– With two blocks, Rayah Marshall extended her streak to 53 straight games with at least one block.
– With a team-high 18 points, freshman JuJu Watkins has totalled 50 points in her first two games as a Trojan — also achieved by Trojan great Cheryl Miller as a freshman in 1982
– With an attendance of 4,712, the USC women recorded their largest attendance at Galen Center since Jan. 17, 2010.
– The attendance also ranks as the eighth most for a USC women’s game at Galen Center.
– Redshirt freshman Aaliyah Gayles and grad transfer Roxane Makolo both made their USC debuts.
– USC is now 42-5 all-time in home openers.
– This was the first-ever meeting between USC and FGCU.
TOP-10 TAKEDOWN
USC notched its first season-opening win over a ranked opponent since 1990 with an upset victory over No. 7 Ohio State at the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That 1990 upset win came over a No. 7 Texas team, with Trojan great Lisa Leslie delivering 30 points in her freshman debut at USC. Fitting, then, that today’s statement win by the Women of Troy featured a 32-point effort from true freshman JuJu Watkins. Leslie and Watkins both were named Gatorade National Players of the Year as seniors in high school before signing on to USC. Up 46-28 at halftime, USC was shooting 51.4 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, with JuJu Watkins holding 16 points and Rayah Marshall already at a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds by the break. Ohio State, which made just two field foals in the second quarter while winding up at 29.6 percent shooting the first half. The Buckeyes would bounce back, however, benefitting from a swaying foul count and almost matching USC’s second-quarter effort in outscoring USC 30-10 in the third. A stalwart effort from the Trojans would pull them back ahead in the fourth, fending off the No. 7 Buckeyes to win the day in Vegas. USC finished out the game shooting 51 percent overall to outpace Ohio State’s 40-percent effort. USC also outrebounded the Buckeyes 43-28. Led by freshman Watkins’ game-high 32 points, USC also saw Marshall net her 21st career double-double with a final 18 points and 17 rebounds. Marshall also extended her impressive blocks streak to 52 straight games with two more tallied today, and added a career-high six steals. Also hitting double digits for the Trojans was McKenzie Forbes with 11 while Kaitlyn Davis added nine rebounds for USC and Watkins dished out five assists. Ohio State was paced by Jacy Sheldon’s 28 points along with 16 from Taylor Thierry.
NOTABLE:
– USC’s win over No. 7 Ohio State was its first season-opening victory over a ranked opponent since 1990, when a No. 25 USC team upset No. 7 Texas 88-77 (11/25/90).
– With 32 points, FR JuJu Watkins beat Lisa Leslie’s 30-point effort in her first game as a USC freshman — recorded in that aforementioned 1990 season opener.
– Watkins’ 32 points scored marked the most by a USC (or any Pac-12) freshman in any game since Alissa Pili (32 points) in 2020.
– Only two other USC freshmen have scored more than 32 points in a game — Cheryl Miller (39 points vs. Northwestern, 11/30/82) and Lisa Leslie (33 points at Cal, 1/17/91).
– JR Rayah Marshall recorded her 21st career double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds today.
– With two blocks, Marshall has extended her streak to 52 straight games with at least one block.
– Marshall also recorded a career-high six steals.
– Five players scored their first points as Trojans today — FR Watkins (32 points), GS McKenzie Forbes (11), GS Kayla Padilla (8), GS Kaitlyn Davis (4) and FR Malia Samuels (2).
– USC is now 4-4 all-time against Ohio State.
– USC’s last win over a top-10 opponent was a 55-46 victory over No. 2 Stanford last season (1/13/23).
TOP TALENT
For just the second time in program history, USC women’s basketball welcomes the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year to Troy, with the addition of heralded incoming freshman JuJu Watkins. Watkins follows in the footsteps of another Los Angeles native, Lisa Leslie, a Trojan great who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 1990 on her way into USC. Watkins picked up All-Pac-12 Preseason Honorable Mention, and was recently named to the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Watch List.
BLOCK LOCK
Defense was one of USC’s strengths last season with the help of Rayah Marshall, who earned 2023 All-Pac12 Team honors as she led the conference in total rebounds with 322 and was second in the nation with 98 blocks as a sophomore. Now a junior and coming off a summer preparing for and playing for the USA in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, Marshall’s shot blocking and rebounding ability coupled with her newfound leadership has made her an essential role player for the Women of Troy as she enters her junior season tasked with time in the paint as a center. After tacking up her 21st career double-double in USC’s season opener, Marshall also added to her impressive blocks streak, now with 53 straight game recording at least one block for the Trojans.
VETERAN STATUS
In addition to Marshall, USC welcomes back a strong group of returners from last season’s success. Now a senior, guard Kayla Williams picked up 2023 Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention, having started all 31 games as a reliable backcourt defender for the team. Also back for more in 2023-24 is redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby, who brings length and sharpshooting to the perimeter, where fifth-year guard India Otto also is a proven threat. Now with two years under her belt at USC, 6-6 center Clarice Akunwafo is back to help man the paint as a junior.
DEPTH CHARGE
Freshman Malia Samuels comes into the season having been named Washington’s 2022 3A Player of the Year, adding point guard savvy and defensive talents to the squad. USC’s guard depth is intensified as redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Onu steps on the court this season for her first action as a Trojan following her midseason transfer from UCLA. And after redshirting her first season, guard Aaliyah Gayles is lined up for her Trojan debut as well.
GRAD GREATS
With a proven eye for talent, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has added four graduate transfers to the 2023-24 Trojan roster. Three — Kaitlyn Davis, McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla — were standouts in the Ivy League, and one — Roxane Makolo — boasts international experience with Team Canada. A proven point guard in her time at Penn, Padilla joins the Trojans as a three-time All-Ivy First Team selection. Her speed and basketball IQ will be an asset to the team for the upcoming season. Marshall and Akunwafo will be supported in the paint with Columbia forward Davis, whose strength and agility make her extremely difficult to defend. With depth comes versatility as Forbes returns to her home state after three strong years at Harvard, where she earned 2022 All-Ivy Second Team honors. She also was recently selected to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLE
USC grad students Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika were picked back-to-back in the 2023 WNBA Draft Third Round as the 29th and 30th overall players chosen, respectively. A 6-2 forward from Paris, France, Sissoko was the Trojans’ top scorer season and was selected by the Phoenix Mercury. A full-time starter from Holster, Denmark, Adika — a 6-0 guard — was a defensive lock who came up big for the Trojans and has been picked by the New York Liberty. It was the first time since 2012 and just the third time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. They followed 2012 picks for Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath, and 1997 draftees Pam McGee and Tina Thompson. Adika was waived for the 2023 season, while Sissoko played the full season with the Mercury. Sissoko is currently playing in France with Flammes Carolo Basket Ardennes
LAST SEASON
During the 2022-23 season, the USC women went 11-7 in conference play and finished 21-10 overall. Succeeding in arguably one of the most competitive conferences, the Women of Troy were able to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, when USC won the Pac-12 Tournament title. USC’s 2023 NCAA appearance marked its first at-large bid into the tourney since 2006. The Trojan defense set a program record last season in holding opponents to just 35.4 percent shooting from the floor.
SIGNED!
Five standouts from five different states have signed on to join head coach Lindsay Gottlieb‘s Women of Troy for 2024, including the top player out of California for the second straight year. In all the class of five is expected to be ranked as a top-five class in the nation. Three members of USC’s incoming class — Kennedy Smith, Kayley Heckel and Avery Howell — have been named to the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Watch List. As of Nov. 21, ESPN ranked USC’s incoming 2024 class as No. 1 in the nation.
KENNEDY SMITH | 6-1 G | Etiwanda, Calif. (Etiwanda HS)
Kennedy Smith stands as the No. 6 recruit in the nation as she turns to a career as a Trojan. An all-state first-teamer as a junior, Smith was also selected to the 2023 Los Angeles Times All-Star Team and was a Nike EYBL Champion with CalSparks. She has helped Etiwanda to a 2023 Open Division State Championship and the 2022 Southern Section title and also was named the 2023 Press Enterprise Inland Empire Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
KAYLEIGH HECKEL | 5-9 PG | Port Chester, N.Y. (Long Island Lutheran HS)
Already having pinned up 2,000 points in her prep career, Kayleigh Heckel helped lead her high school squad to a national runner-up finish in her junior season and was named the MaxPreps New York Player of the Year. Ranked No. 27 in the nation overall, she also is a 2022 Nike TOC Champion and plays AAU ball with Exodus NYC.
RIAN FORESTIER | 5-11 G | San Antonio, Texas (Brandeis HS)
Ranked as the top guard in Texas, Rian Forestier is a noted 3-point threat and a regular on all-state, all-region and all-district honor rolls. District MVP as a junior, she was the All-Area and All-District Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Brandeis High in San Antonio. Also committed to community service, Forestier founded a non-profit called 4WARD, which donates new basketball shoes to middle school girls in the San Antonio region.
AVERY HOWELL | 6-0 G | Boise, Idaho (Boise HS)
The 2023 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, Avery Howell stands ranked No. 23 in the nation and was a participant in the Wooten Top 150. Also an invitee to the Canadian National Team’s training camp in 2023, Howell is a highly touted guard who set single-season records in points and rebounds in her junior season at Boise High, which finished third at the 2023 state championships. She participate in the Adidas 3SSB Eurocamp and was one of the top scorers and rebounders on the Adidas Circuit in the summer.
LAURA WILLIAMS | 6-1 F | Fairfax, Va. (St. Paul VI Catholic HS)
The top-ranked player in Virginia, Laura Williams has helped St. Paul VI continue its run of state titles. A top-100 player in the ESPN’s 2024 class, Williams averaged 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game with Fairfax Stars AAU and the 2023 summer Nike EYBL circuit soon after earning First Team All-State honors. •
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