Los Angeles, CA- As we kicked off the first round of NCAA March Madness, the No.1 seeded Women of Troy (27-5) handled business in the first round of 64 as they eliminated No.16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi (23-9) 87-55.
AP All-American Juju Watkins made her NCAA tournament debut with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.
“This is like the most exciting time in basketball so I’m just grateful to be a part of it,” Watkins said postgame when asked about her excitement after getting her first tournament win. “I think there’s a lot on the line that really gives us a lot of energy and momentum going into the game. I’m just excited, as this is my first run. Whatever I need to do to help out the team, I’m going to do it.”
The Pac-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Mckenzie Forbes of USC continued her stellar play as well as she contributed 23 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
“Kenzie is playing, as well, as virtually any guard in the country in terms of leadership and knocking down shots,” Head Coach Lindsay Gotlieb said when discussing her team’s performance after the game.
USC was locked in from tipoff holding the Islanders to only four first-quarter points and recording seven of their 14 blocked shots. USC shot 46% from the floor and 30% from behind the arc in the first half.
Texas A&M CC struggled to make shots at the rim and shot 24% from the field making only 8 of 33 attempts. The Islanders trailed 20-36 at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Trojans had their highest-scoring quarter of the contest, putting up 35 points as they received contributions from up and down their roster. Junior Rayah Marshall continues to be a force in the paint recording another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Kayla Padilla contributed 10 points and knocked down three three-pointers.
As the game clock wound down the crowd chanted “We Want Otto” begging for USC to put in 5th-year Senior India Otto. Gotlieb Gave the crowd what they wanted and put Otto in with two minutes left. Otto came in and stole the show scoring on back-to-back possessions for five points and getting Galen Center as aloud as it had been all day and the bench hyped for their teammate.
“It was incredible,” Otto said reflecting on her experience. “That is a core memory for me for sure. A culmination of everything I put into this program the last five years, it was really, really special.”
USC shot 57% from the field in the second half and 43% from the three-point line. The Trojans concluded the game shooting 52% from the field and 38% from behind the arc.
Texas A&M CC shot 44% in the second half going 13 of 29 but continued to struggle from behind the arc. The Islanders concluded the game by only making 2 three-point attempts finishing 2-15 for 13%.
The Trojans now prepare for the Round of 32 as they will face the Kansas Jayhawks who defeated Michigan 81-72 in overtime here at the Galen Center.
