On Thursday night, the USC women’s basketball team fell 62-55 to Maryland at Galen Center. With the loss, the Trojans fell to 10-7 on the 2025-2026 season and 2-4 in Big Ten play.
What did we learn from the game? Here are a few key takeaways:
Four losses in a row
Last season, USC lost just four total games across the regular season, Big Ten Tournament, and NCAA Tournament. The Trojans have now lost that many games within the past two weeks suffering their fourth defeat in a row Thursday night.
Defense stepped up
The loss was not because of USC’s defense. Beth Burns and the Trojans did a great job holding a very good Maryland team in check, allowing just 62 points.
Offense did not
USC’s offense, on the other hand, did not have its best night. The Trojans scored just 55 points shooting a mere 28% on field goal attempts and just 16% from behind the three-point line.
Jazzy’s diminuendo
After Jazzy Davidson scored 12 points in the first eight minutes of the game, it looked as though the freshman could be in for a massive night. Instead, she did not score a single point for the rest of the game.
Kennedy Smith makes USC a very good team
USC has played good opponents close and tough even without Kennedy Smith, who did not play against Maryland and missed a third straight game. It’s hard to look at these past three games — Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland — and think Kennedy Smith wouldn’t have made a significant difference. USC lost by seven points or fewer in all three games. Kennedy Smith is worth far more than just seven points per game if you factor in her defense, rebounding, passing, and scoring. The team is actually playing solid ball in its shorthanded state, but Kennedy not being on the court is decisive for all the obvious reasons, one being that defenses can focus on Jazzy Davidson more.
Up next
USC is back in action at home on Sunday when the Trojans host Purdue at Galen Center. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Pacific time on Big Ten Plus.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Takeaways from USC women’s basketball’s 62-55 home loss to Maryland
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
