Friday, December 30
Corvallis, Ore.
6:00 PM
USC
at
Oregon State
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
USC Women's Basketball Rings In New Year With Pac-12 Trip To Oregon
December 27, 2022 | Women's Basketball
Trojans visit Oregon State on Friday and face No. 17 Oregon on New Year’s Day.
USC (10-2, 0-1) at Oregon State (7-4, 0-1)
Gill Coliseum | Corvallis, Ore.
Friday, Dec. 30 | 6 p.m.Â
Series Record [since 1976-77]: USC leads 44-31 (L2)
Last Meeting: L 63-61 (ot) [1/28/22 • Corvallis]
TV:Â Pac-12 LAÂ (Talent: Ann Schatz & Angela Taylor)
STREAM | STATS
USC at #17 Oregon (10-2, 1-0)
Matt Knight Arena | Eugene, Ore.
Sunday, Jan. 1 | 2 p.m.Â
Series Record [since 1980-81]: USC leads 45-29 (L11)
Last Meeting: L 80-48 [1/30/22 • Eugene]
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Talent: Rich Burk & Jennifer Mountain)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
USC returns from a short holiday break to dig back into Pac-12 play this week. The Trojans (10-2, 0-1 Pac-12) head to Oregon to ring in the new year, first visiting Oregon State for a 6 p.m. clash on Friday (Dec. 30) in Corvallis before heading to Eugene to take on No. 17 Oregon at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 1).
FOLLOW ALONGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Friday's USC-Oregon State clash will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Ann Schatz and Angela Taylor on the call. Sunday's game vs. the Ducks will air on Pac-12 Networks with Rich Burk and Jennifer Mountain on the call. Games will also stream live at pac-12.com/live.Â
IN THE POLLSÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC was receiving votes in the preseason USA Today poll. In the latest round of national rankings, USC is receiving votes in the USA Today Poll (released Dec. 20). USC entered this week rated 42 in the NET rankings.
USC IN THE NATIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC entered the week ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 49.8 points per game through its 10-2 start to the season. The Trojans also are top-25 in four other categories:  3-point percentage defense (3rd — 22.5%), field goal percentage defense (6th ‚ 33.0%), blocks per game (8th - 5.9 bpg), assists per game (20th — 18.0 apg) and steals per game (22nd — 11.5 spg).Â
TROJANS IN THE NATIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Individually, USC enters the week with a couple players making their mark on the national stat sheets. With 3.3 blocks per game, Rayah Marshall ranks No. 2 in the nation. She's also No. 6 in total blocks (33) and No. 13 in total double-doubles with six. Marshall also is making her mark on the boards, ranked No. 19 with her 10.3 rebounds per game and No. 25 with 7.2 defensive rebounds per game. Kadi Sissoko's field goal percentage of 59.8 has her at No. 20 in the nation. And with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.59, Kayla Williams ranks No. 29 in the land.
LAST ACTIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC tallied its 10th win of the season behind a third consecutive double-double from Rayah Marshall, beating visiting Saint Mary's 71-45 at Galen Center. In a topsy-turvy first half, USC opened hot and then cooled significantly on the offensive end, but that early push sustained the Trojans enough to keep USC on top, up 32-26 at halftime. Only one bucket fell from the floor for USC in the second quarter as the Trojans wrapped the first half shooting 35.1 percent overall. Saint Mary's was hitting at a 35.5 percent clip, with the Trojans leading on the boards 25-19 by halftime. USC would right the ship the rest of the way, finishing up shooting 38 percent from the floor to outpace the Gaels' final 29-percent effort. The boards also belonged to the Trojans, 46-42. Rayah Marshall led all with her double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds along with four blocks on the day for USC. Okako Adika also hit double digits with 12 points as nine different Trojans scored in the win.
NOTABLE:
- With four blocks, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 33 consecutive games played.
- With 18 points, Marshall scored in double digits for the eighth game this season.
- Marshall also grabbed 15 rebounds for her team-high sixth double-double and 12th of her USC career.
- Marshall also tied a career-high FG made with nine and tied a season high with three steals.
- USC's 28 first-quarter points marked the most scored in a single quarter this year.
- JR Kayla Williams recorded a career-high three blocks.
- JR Koi Love scored a season-high nine points.
- USC won by double digits for the eighth time this season.
- USC held Saint Mary's to a season-low 45 points and a season-low 29% (18-of-62) from the field.
- Saint Mary's is now the third opponent that USC has held to under-30 percent shooting this season.
- Saint Mary's eight points scored in the third quarter marks the 10th time this season that USC has allowed fewer than 10 points in a quarter.
BATTLING THE BRUINSÂ Â Â
USC reeled in its rival UCLA in the second half but was unable to pull off the upset as the No. 10 Bruins earned a 59-56 win over the Trojans in a Pac-12 opener at Galen Center. The loss snapped USC's undefeated start to the season. The lead traded hands three times and was tied up five times in the first half before UCLA made a late push in outscoring USC 13-4 in the last two minutes to go up 39-28 at the break. The Bruins were shooting 43.6 percent from the floor to outpace USC's 33.3 percent, while UCLA had the edge on the boards 22-18 through those first 20 minutes of rivalry action. The Trojans would up their defensive pressure in the second half, holding the Bruins to just 21 percent from the floor while allowing just seven UCLA points in the fourth. But the equalizer would not come for USC, who wound up three points short of forcing OT. USC finished the game shooting 34.5 percent overall to better UCLA's 32.9 percent. USC landed six 3-pointers to three by its rival, but UCLA benefitted from 20 offensive rebounds and finished ahead on the boards overall 47-36 to help fend off the Trojans. USC received a game-high 20 points from Kadi Sissoko and a double-double from Rayah Marshall on 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Destiny Littleton added 10 points for the Trojans and Taylor Bigby nailed three 3-pointers. UCLA was led by Emily Bessoir's 16 points along with 14 each from Kiki Rice and Charisma Osborne, who also tallied a double-double with 13 rebounds for the Bruins. USC was trailing 52-44 entering the fourth quarter before USC got one back, down 52-51 with 4:40 to go on a three from Marshall. Entering the final minute of the fourth, it was a three-point difference on a make from Sissoko, who tugged the Trojans to within reach, down 59-56 on her 20th points of the night. A defensive rebound by Littleton got USC on the attack for a look at an equalizer, but the final shot eluded the Trojans and it was the Bruins who emerged with the 59-56 win at Galen Center.
NOTABLE:
- With four blocks, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 31 consecutive games played.
- With 15 points, Marshall scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.
- With 10 points, GS Destiny Littleton scored in double digits for the ninth time this season.
- RS FR Taylor Bigby tied a career-high three 3-pointers made.
- Marshall made her first three-pointer of the season.
- Marshall recorded her 10th career double-double and team-high fourth this season with her 15 points and 10 rebounds.
- GS Destiny Littleton tied a career-high with seven assists.
- With 20 points, GS Kadi Sissoko scored 20 or more points for the third time this season, her ninth game in double digits overall at USC.
- USC held UCLA to a season-low 59 points and a season-low 13% (3-of-23) from 3-point range.
- UCLA's seven points scored in the fourth quarter marks the ninth time this season that USC has allowed fewer than 10 points in a quarter.
TRANSFER TIMEÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC grad transfers Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton have emerged as top impact players in their first season as Trojans. USC's leading scorers, Sissoko and Littleton are averaging 16.4 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Sissoko tops all Trojans with 10 double-digit outings to date, including three games with 20+ points. Littleton, meanwhile, has hit double digits in nine games so far.
COMING UP BIGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC redshirt freshman transfer Taylor Bigby is hitting her stride as a Trojan, now with at least one 3-pointer scored in six of USC's last seven games. She averaged 2.8 points per game in the first five games of the year, and has averaged 9.1 ppg in the last seven games thanks in part to a career-high 21 points vs. Merrimack.
RAYAH'S PAC-12 POWERÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC sophomore Rayah Marshall added to her Pac-12 accolades with her earning of All-Pac-12 Preseason Honorable Mention from the media. The top-ranked freshman in the nation in blocks last season, Marshall is back for more in her second year as a Trojan. Marshall earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention last year, and was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. She was USC's third leading scorer with 11. 3 points per game while dominating the boards with a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with her 2.54 blocks per game — ranking  her No. 12 overall in the nation in that category in 2021-22. So far in her 2022-23 sophomore campaign, Marshall is close to averaging a double-double with her 12.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game — not to mention her 3.2 blocks per game.
2022-23 TROJANSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Women of Troy are a dynamic group with solid returning talent along with a powerful group of newcomers. The 2022-23 roster features All-Pac-12 honoree Rayah Marshall and its top 3-point scorer Alyson Miura returning from last season, in addition to seven transfers ready to hit the court in Cardinal and Gold. USC's group of grad transfers features an NCAA champion in Destiny Littleton along with three standout internationals in Kadi Sissoko, Rokia Doumbia and Okako Adika. USC has also welcomed undergraduate transfers Kayla Williams, Koi Love and Taylor Bigby to the Trojan Family.
SIGNED!        Â
JUJU WATKINS | Sierra Canyon HS (Watts, Calif.)
The USC women's basketball program has the stage set for some serious star power with the addition of the nation's top high school player, guard JuJu Watkins, who signed a national letter of intent to join the Women of Troy in 2023. Heralded as the best in the USA, Watkins named the 2022 MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a junior. A native of Watts, Calif., Watkins is sticking to her Los Angeles roots in becoming a Trojan. In addition to her numerous California state accolades, she also brings in significant international experience as a member of the United States U-17 and U-16 national teams. She was named the MVP of the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in helping Team USA to a gold medal at that event. And in 2021, she was the MVP of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, where the U.S. squad also won gold. The 6-1 guard has played club ball for Sports Academy Swish GBL. And in her junior season with Sierra Canyon, Watkins piled up state honors as the Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year, CIF Mc. Basketball State Player of the Year, Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year in 2022.Â
MALIA SAMUELS | Garfield HS (Seattle, Wash.)
USC gets another guard stronger with the addition of Seattle product Malia Samuels, who signed a national letter of intent to become a Trojan. A 5-6 guard, Samuels was the 2021-22 3A Washington State Player of the Year as a junior. Also named State Tournament MVP that season, she was an All-State First Team honoree. A regular on all-state honor rolls and the 2022 Metro League Player of the Year, she averaged 16.5 points, 6.3 assist, 6.1 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game at the guard slots. At the club level, she has competed for Greyhounds and is considered the top girls basketball recruit out of the state of Washington in this 2023 class. •
Gill Coliseum | Corvallis, Ore.
Friday, Dec. 30 | 6 p.m.Â
Series Record [since 1976-77]: USC leads 44-31 (L2)
Last Meeting: L 63-61 (ot) [1/28/22 • Corvallis]
TV:Â Pac-12 LAÂ (Talent: Ann Schatz & Angela Taylor)
STREAM | STATS
USC at #17 Oregon (10-2, 1-0)
Matt Knight Arena | Eugene, Ore.
Sunday, Jan. 1 | 2 p.m.Â
Series Record [since 1980-81]: USC leads 45-29 (L11)
Last Meeting: L 80-48 [1/30/22 • Eugene]
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Talent: Rich Burk & Jennifer Mountain)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
USC returns from a short holiday break to dig back into Pac-12 play this week. The Trojans (10-2, 0-1 Pac-12) head to Oregon to ring in the new year, first visiting Oregon State for a 6 p.m. clash on Friday (Dec. 30) in Corvallis before heading to Eugene to take on No. 17 Oregon at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 1).
FOLLOW ALONGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Friday's USC-Oregon State clash will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Ann Schatz and Angela Taylor on the call. Sunday's game vs. the Ducks will air on Pac-12 Networks with Rich Burk and Jennifer Mountain on the call. Games will also stream live at pac-12.com/live.Â
IN THE POLLSÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC was receiving votes in the preseason USA Today poll. In the latest round of national rankings, USC is receiving votes in the USA Today Poll (released Dec. 20). USC entered this week rated 42 in the NET rankings.
USC IN THE NATIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC entered the week ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just 49.8 points per game through its 10-2 start to the season. The Trojans also are top-25 in four other categories:  3-point percentage defense (3rd — 22.5%), field goal percentage defense (6th ‚ 33.0%), blocks per game (8th - 5.9 bpg), assists per game (20th — 18.0 apg) and steals per game (22nd — 11.5 spg).Â
TROJANS IN THE NATIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Individually, USC enters the week with a couple players making their mark on the national stat sheets. With 3.3 blocks per game, Rayah Marshall ranks No. 2 in the nation. She's also No. 6 in total blocks (33) and No. 13 in total double-doubles with six. Marshall also is making her mark on the boards, ranked No. 19 with her 10.3 rebounds per game and No. 25 with 7.2 defensive rebounds per game. Kadi Sissoko's field goal percentage of 59.8 has her at No. 20 in the nation. And with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.59, Kayla Williams ranks No. 29 in the land.
LAST ACTIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC tallied its 10th win of the season behind a third consecutive double-double from Rayah Marshall, beating visiting Saint Mary's 71-45 at Galen Center. In a topsy-turvy first half, USC opened hot and then cooled significantly on the offensive end, but that early push sustained the Trojans enough to keep USC on top, up 32-26 at halftime. Only one bucket fell from the floor for USC in the second quarter as the Trojans wrapped the first half shooting 35.1 percent overall. Saint Mary's was hitting at a 35.5 percent clip, with the Trojans leading on the boards 25-19 by halftime. USC would right the ship the rest of the way, finishing up shooting 38 percent from the floor to outpace the Gaels' final 29-percent effort. The boards also belonged to the Trojans, 46-42. Rayah Marshall led all with her double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds along with four blocks on the day for USC. Okako Adika also hit double digits with 12 points as nine different Trojans scored in the win.
NOTABLE:
- With four blocks, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 33 consecutive games played.
- With 18 points, Marshall scored in double digits for the eighth game this season.
- Marshall also grabbed 15 rebounds for her team-high sixth double-double and 12th of her USC career.
- Marshall also tied a career-high FG made with nine and tied a season high with three steals.
- USC's 28 first-quarter points marked the most scored in a single quarter this year.
- JR Kayla Williams recorded a career-high three blocks.
- JR Koi Love scored a season-high nine points.
- USC won by double digits for the eighth time this season.
- USC held Saint Mary's to a season-low 45 points and a season-low 29% (18-of-62) from the field.
- Saint Mary's is now the third opponent that USC has held to under-30 percent shooting this season.
- Saint Mary's eight points scored in the third quarter marks the 10th time this season that USC has allowed fewer than 10 points in a quarter.
BATTLING THE BRUINSÂ Â Â
USC reeled in its rival UCLA in the second half but was unable to pull off the upset as the No. 10 Bruins earned a 59-56 win over the Trojans in a Pac-12 opener at Galen Center. The loss snapped USC's undefeated start to the season. The lead traded hands three times and was tied up five times in the first half before UCLA made a late push in outscoring USC 13-4 in the last two minutes to go up 39-28 at the break. The Bruins were shooting 43.6 percent from the floor to outpace USC's 33.3 percent, while UCLA had the edge on the boards 22-18 through those first 20 minutes of rivalry action. The Trojans would up their defensive pressure in the second half, holding the Bruins to just 21 percent from the floor while allowing just seven UCLA points in the fourth. But the equalizer would not come for USC, who wound up three points short of forcing OT. USC finished the game shooting 34.5 percent overall to better UCLA's 32.9 percent. USC landed six 3-pointers to three by its rival, but UCLA benefitted from 20 offensive rebounds and finished ahead on the boards overall 47-36 to help fend off the Trojans. USC received a game-high 20 points from Kadi Sissoko and a double-double from Rayah Marshall on 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Destiny Littleton added 10 points for the Trojans and Taylor Bigby nailed three 3-pointers. UCLA was led by Emily Bessoir's 16 points along with 14 each from Kiki Rice and Charisma Osborne, who also tallied a double-double with 13 rebounds for the Bruins. USC was trailing 52-44 entering the fourth quarter before USC got one back, down 52-51 with 4:40 to go on a three from Marshall. Entering the final minute of the fourth, it was a three-point difference on a make from Sissoko, who tugged the Trojans to within reach, down 59-56 on her 20th points of the night. A defensive rebound by Littleton got USC on the attack for a look at an equalizer, but the final shot eluded the Trojans and it was the Bruins who emerged with the 59-56 win at Galen Center.
NOTABLE:
- With four blocks, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 31 consecutive games played.
- With 15 points, Marshall scored in double digits for the sixth time this season.
- With 10 points, GS Destiny Littleton scored in double digits for the ninth time this season.
- RS FR Taylor Bigby tied a career-high three 3-pointers made.
- Marshall made her first three-pointer of the season.
- Marshall recorded her 10th career double-double and team-high fourth this season with her 15 points and 10 rebounds.
- GS Destiny Littleton tied a career-high with seven assists.
- With 20 points, GS Kadi Sissoko scored 20 or more points for the third time this season, her ninth game in double digits overall at USC.
- USC held UCLA to a season-low 59 points and a season-low 13% (3-of-23) from 3-point range.
- UCLA's seven points scored in the fourth quarter marks the ninth time this season that USC has allowed fewer than 10 points in a quarter.
TRANSFER TIMEÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC grad transfers Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton have emerged as top impact players in their first season as Trojans. USC's leading scorers, Sissoko and Littleton are averaging 16.4 and 12.3 points per game, respectively. Sissoko tops all Trojans with 10 double-digit outings to date, including three games with 20+ points. Littleton, meanwhile, has hit double digits in nine games so far.
COMING UP BIGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC redshirt freshman transfer Taylor Bigby is hitting her stride as a Trojan, now with at least one 3-pointer scored in six of USC's last seven games. She averaged 2.8 points per game in the first five games of the year, and has averaged 9.1 ppg in the last seven games thanks in part to a career-high 21 points vs. Merrimack.
RAYAH'S PAC-12 POWERÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC sophomore Rayah Marshall added to her Pac-12 accolades with her earning of All-Pac-12 Preseason Honorable Mention from the media. The top-ranked freshman in the nation in blocks last season, Marshall is back for more in her second year as a Trojan. Marshall earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention last year, and was selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. She was USC's third leading scorer with 11. 3 points per game while dominating the boards with a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with her 2.54 blocks per game — ranking  her No. 12 overall in the nation in that category in 2021-22. So far in her 2022-23 sophomore campaign, Marshall is close to averaging a double-double with her 12.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per game — not to mention her 3.2 blocks per game.
2022-23 TROJANSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Women of Troy are a dynamic group with solid returning talent along with a powerful group of newcomers. The 2022-23 roster features All-Pac-12 honoree Rayah Marshall and its top 3-point scorer Alyson Miura returning from last season, in addition to seven transfers ready to hit the court in Cardinal and Gold. USC's group of grad transfers features an NCAA champion in Destiny Littleton along with three standout internationals in Kadi Sissoko, Rokia Doumbia and Okako Adika. USC has also welcomed undergraduate transfers Kayla Williams, Koi Love and Taylor Bigby to the Trojan Family.
SIGNED!        Â
JUJU WATKINS | Sierra Canyon HS (Watts, Calif.)
The USC women's basketball program has the stage set for some serious star power with the addition of the nation's top high school player, guard JuJu Watkins, who signed a national letter of intent to join the Women of Troy in 2023. Heralded as the best in the USA, Watkins named the 2022 MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a junior. A native of Watts, Calif., Watkins is sticking to her Los Angeles roots in becoming a Trojan. In addition to her numerous California state accolades, she also brings in significant international experience as a member of the United States U-17 and U-16 national teams. She was named the MVP of the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in helping Team USA to a gold medal at that event. And in 2021, she was the MVP of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, where the U.S. squad also won gold. The 6-1 guard has played club ball for Sports Academy Swish GBL. And in her junior season with Sierra Canyon, Watkins piled up state honors as the Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year, CIF Mc. Basketball State Player of the Year, Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year in 2022.Â
MALIA SAMUELS | Garfield HS (Seattle, Wash.)
USC gets another guard stronger with the addition of Seattle product Malia Samuels, who signed a national letter of intent to become a Trojan. A 5-6 guard, Samuels was the 2021-22 3A Washington State Player of the Year as a junior. Also named State Tournament MVP that season, she was an All-State First Team honoree. A regular on all-state honor rolls and the 2022 Metro League Player of the Year, she averaged 16.5 points, 6.3 assist, 6.1 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game at the guard slots. At the club level, she has competed for Greyhounds and is considered the top girls basketball recruit out of the state of Washington in this 2023 class. •
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
