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USC lines up before an NCAA college basketball game against UConn, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
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USC lines up before an NCAA college basketball game against UConn, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
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LOS ANGELES — When UConn orchestrated, USC scrapped. The Trojans, who were a 20-point underdog at tipoff, let loose everything they had but were powerless against the No. 1-ranked women’s basketball team in the nation.
No. 16 USC fell behind by as many as 21 points in the first half and lost 79-51 on Saturday at the Galen Center.
“I’m proud of the fight that we had,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told reporters before the game, “but I thought our attention to detail wasn’t good enough to win the game or to compete as well as we wanted to compete against them. I think we’ll get better from it.”
Kennedy Smith led the Trojans with 16 points and seven rebounds. Londynn Jones scored 14 points off the bench.
UConn’s Azzi Fudd, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s WNBA draft, scored a game-high 17 points. Ashlynn Shade added 15 points, Sarah Strong scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds and freshman Blanca Quiñonez came off the bench to add 12 points.
USC (7-3) shot 23.3% in the first half and kept the score close in the first quarter. UConn (9-0), the reigning national champion, leaned on its physical dominance to go on a 15-0 scoring run to close the frame with a 23-9 lead.
“We stuck with our game plan and stayed true to who we were,” Shade said. “And then eventually you just go on runs and stick with our scout, stick with our game plan, and that’s how we executed.”
Shade made a wide-open corner 3-pointer to bring the score to 28-11 with 7:20 remaining until halftime, seemingly signaling UConn to shoot the ball at will. Strong made a layup from under the net as the Huskies rattled off nine unanswered points for a 32-11 advantage.
During the scoring run, USC went 0-for-8 shooting with three turnovers.
UConn continued to control the paint, where it scored 26 points in the first half, after which it led 39-17, and 44 for the game. It finished shooting 48% (31 of 65) from the field, including 37% (7 of 19) from 3-point range.
“They put so much pressure on you to guard actions, especially with Fudd and Strong,” Gottlieb said. “And then it just opened it up for some other people just to get to the rim. We gave up too many points in our paint.”
The Huskies forced 11 turnovers in the second half and outscored the Trojans 40-34 as they began to rotate in bench players.
“We turned the ball over a lot,” Gottlie said. “It’s really hard to guard them in transition off of made or missed baskets, but I thought we could do that probably better than anyone, maybe, that they’ve played. But it’s really hard off of live-ball turnovers.”
USC had its best offensive performance in the third quarter, putting up 22 points to UConn’s 30. Smith and Jones scored eight points apiece.
“No matter if we’re down or not — playing with your heart, playing hard from start to finish is something that we need to take and carry over,” Smith said. “We’re about to go into Big Ten play soon, and the games are not going to get easier.”
The Huskies still led 69-39 after three quarters, thanks to a 20-4 run, and demonstrated poise while the Trojans appeared disconnected and, at times, frantic.
Freshman Jazzy Davidson, who came into the game leading the Trojans with 16.7 points per game, made one of eight shots from the field in the first half. Her 6-foot-1 frame, which had gotten her 2.3 blocks a game up until Saturday, struggled against the Huskies’ press and one-on-one coverages. She finished with 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting with four blocked shots.
“She’s super skilled,” Fudd said of Davidson. “She knows how to score at all three levels. Everyone ended up guarding her at some point. I feel like really being connected on defense, understanding Jazzy and the rest of our team and everyone’s tendencies (helped), and knowing how to guard each player and staying focused for a full 40 minutes.”
USC’s schedule will ease up Thursday when Cal Poly comes to Galen Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Big Ten Conference play will resume on Dec. 29 at Nebraska.
