Los Angeles, CA- Senior Forward Kara Dunn dropped double digits again to lead USC to its first victory on Sunday, the first day of the month in February against Rutgers at the Galen Center, 71-39.
Freshmen Jazzy Davidson open the game with scoring the first basket before committing back-to-back turnovers that led to Scarlet Knights converting into points.
“I just thought we were a little sloppy with the ball and we talked about just being more intentional,” USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “Whether it was shot selection or really just getting, you know, in rhythm more. And I credit Rutger’s length and their zone kind of impacted us a little bit. But I thought we kind of got in our heads a little bit when shots didn’t fall early…”
Londynn Jones was able to change that mindset early after draining a triple to give her team, a 5-4 lead midway thru the first quarter. By the end of the quarter, both teams had found some rhythm on offense, trading baskets with Rutgers closing out the first period, up 15-12.
Malia Samuels opened 2nd quarter with a tying triple, 15-15. A couple of plays later, Davidson came with a sweet Euro step in transition for a 3- point play putting USC up five, 24-19.
“Malia being back was great,” Sophmore Guard Kennedy Smith said. “She brings the defense energy and leadership that we need for this team. She’s a big asset for this team. So her being back brought us momentum obviously on the defensive end.“
But the Women of Troy fell to capitalize on that big momentum swing and put the game away by committing more costly unforced turnovers that allowed the Scarlet Knights to hang in the first half, entering halftime, 29-23.
Laura Williams became an unsung hero for USC grabbing 11 rebounds in only 14 minutes of action and knocking down pivotal baskets to help her team at home build up their win streak.
“Laura is a tremendous
athlete. She’s just like a super terrific athlete and she has long arms and she goes up and gets the ball,” coach Gottlieb said. “She’s a really good offensive rebounder. I think that tonight in particular, we didn’t shoot
it great, so there were a lot of opportunities. And they were in a zone, so there’s nobody really boxing you out. And I thought she did exactly
what she’s capable of doing in that sense.”
Dunn was USC’s unheralded leading scorer again, finishing with 18 points and six boards. Davidson added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Smith had 11 points plus a moment in the game where she performed a one-man press causing disruptive pressure to Rutgers’ guards.
Rutgers continued to make an attempt of a comeback but could not get over the hump, despite hitting a buzzer-beater shot to end the third period, 52-33.
Women of Troy did not let up on defense, only allowing Scarlet Knights to score eight points in the last three periods and continued their defensive prowess before emptying their bench and sealing the game with a corner three-pointer by crowd favorite Rian Forestier, starting this month off with a meaningful celebration.
“February is Black History Month and Black History is American history, right? And we have a really diverse team, but we have a lot of strong and powerful and amazing young African-American women who just do a lot of great things both on and off the court,” coach Gottlieb said. “And I think that, you know, their ability to, you know, wear a shirt and just shine a light on the incredible people in this country’s history that have made us who we are is a great thing, right? So, you hope that a t-shirt brings awareness, but you hope really it’s in how we live, and how we value, you know, those around us.”
USC (13-9, 5-6) will now hit the road traveling Midwest to first matchup against Northwestern, then Illinois.
