On Tuesday night, the USC women’s basketball team fell 71-66 at home to Oregon. With the loss, the Trojans dropped to 10-5 on the season and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
What did we learn from the game? Here are a few key takeaways:
Fourth quarter collapse
It was an epic fourth quarter collapse by the Trojans, who entered the final frame with a seemingly comfortable 13-point lead. However, Oregon outscored USC 26-8 in the final frame to pull of a stunning upset.
14 unanswered points
Giving up a 14-0 run at any point in a game is bad. Giving up a 14-0 run to end a game is simply horrific. After a Jazzy Davidson basket put USC up by nine with 4:46 remaining, the Trojans did not score another point for the rest of the game.
Smith was missed
Ahead of the game, USC’s Kennedy Smith was ruled out with a lower leg injury. The Trojans clearly missed Smith on both sides of the ball, and were forced to play Davidson, Kara Dunn, and Malia Samuels for practically the entire game due to their lack of available depth.
Life without Juju
Tuesday’s loss was yet another reality check as to what life without Juju Watkins will look like for the Trojans. With Watkins in the lineup the past two seasons, USC could afford to bring its C game on any given night against an unranked opponent and still get a victory. With Watkins not able to bail out the teams’ mistakes this year, however, the Trojans can no longer afford to do that. Against Oregon, they found that out the hard way.
Up next
The Women of Troy travel to Minnesota for a road game against the Gophers on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. Pacific time/2:00 p.m. Central time on Big Ten Plus.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Takeaways from USC women’s basketball’s 71-66 home loss to Oregon
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
