Friday, January 13
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM
USC
vs
California
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ 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 Is Back At Galen Center To Host Cal And No. 2 Stanford
January 10, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Trojans face the Golden Bears on Friday night and take on the Cardinal at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Pac-12 action.
USC (11-4, 1-3) vs. California (10-5, 1-3)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, Jan. 13 | 7 p.m.
Series Record (since 1978-79): USC leads 42-34 (L1)
Last Meeting: L 62-59 [2/4/22 • Galen Center]
TV: P12 Los Angeles (Talent: Tammy Blackburn & Jim Watson)
STREAM | STATS
USC vs. #2 Stanford (16-1, 4-0)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Sunday, Jan. 15 | 2 p.m.
Series Record (since 1978-79): USC trails 20-67 (L14)
Last Meeting: L 83-57 [2/6/22 • Galen Center]
TV: P12 Networks (Talent: Mary Murphy & Anne Marie Anderson)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
USC gets back to Galen Center this week with two Pac-12 tilts on tap. The Trojans (11-4, 1-3 Pac-12) host California (10-5, 1-3) in a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday (Jan. 13) before taking on No. 2 Stanford (16-1, 4-0) at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 15).
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's USC-Cal clash will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Tammy Blackburn and Jim Watson on the call. Sunday's game vs. the Cardinal will air on Pac-12 Networks with Anne Marie Anderson and Mary Murphy on the call. Games will also stream live at pac-12.com/live.
IN THE POLLS
USC was receiving votes in the preseason USA Today poll. USC is unranked in the latest round of national rankings (as of Jan. 10). USC enters this week rated 40 in the NET rankings.
USC IN THE NATION
USC entered the week ranked as the No. 7 team in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to an average of 33.6 percent through its 11-4 start to the season. The Trojans also are top-30 in four other categories: 3-point percentage defense (8th — 23.9%), scoring defense (10th‚ 52.6 ppg), blocks per game (10th - 5.6 bpg) and steals per game (26th — 10.9 spg).
TROJANS IN THE NATION
Individually, USC enters the week with a few players making their mark on the national stat sheets. With 3.15 blocks per game, Rayah Marshall ranks No. 2 in the nation. She's also No. 6 in total blocks (41) and No. 15 in total double-doubles with eight. Marshall also is making her mark on the boards, ranked No. 16 with her 10.6 rebounds per game and No. 13 with 7.7 defensive rebounds per game. Kadi Sissoko's field goal percentage of 57.9 has her at No. 24 in the nation. And with a free-throw percentage of 89.5, Destiny Littleton ranks No. 27 in the land.
RAYAH REIGNS AS PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
USC sophomore Rayah Marshall was the driving force for the Trojans in a key Pac-12 road split, ringing in the new year with her first career selection as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Jan. 2. The versatile forward made her mark in the USC history books with the most points scored by a Trojan since 2019 when she pinned up a career-high 33 points in the Trojans' win at Oregon State on Dec. 30. She'd haul in 16 rebounds in that one and keep her blocks streak alive and well with four in USC's victory. It was the just the seventh 30-point and 15-rebound double-double by any player in the NCAA this season and the first such outing by a Trojan since at least 1999-2000. Marshall also accounted for 16 of USC's 18 points in the fourth quarter against the Beavers and had over half USC's total team rebounds in the win. At No. 17 Oregon on New Year's Day, Marshall continued her blocks streak in stretching her run to 34 straight games with at least one block while also tallying her fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It is the first career Pac-12 Player of the Week honor for Marshall and the 51st overall for the Women of Troy all-time.
LAST ACTION
USC saw a double-digit lead melt away at the hands of its rivals as No. 12 UCLA managed a fourth-quarter rally that gained the host Bruins a 61-60 win at Pauley Pavilion. Rayah Marshall and Kayla Williams were both in double digits by halftime to help the Trojans lead it 34-30 at the break. USC was shooting 44 percent from the floor to outpace UCLA's 35 percent, with the Trojans' defensive pressure helping hold the Bruins to just 11 points in the second quarter of play. UCLA was up on the boards, though, with a 20-12 rebounding advantage at halftime. The referee whistle was interruptive in the second half, with 28 fouls called in those last 20 minutes. USC got out ahead by as much as 12 points in the third quarter but as the fouls piled up two Trojans would foul out in the fourth while UCLA's shooting picked up from the floor and from the free-throw line. UCLA finished out the game shooting 30.6 percent overall and 18-of-21 from the free-throw line (10-of 12 in the fourth). USC wrapped at 40.9 percent overall and was 21-of-29 from the stripe. The Bruins won the battle of the boards 40-29. USC had four Trojans finish in double digits, with 15 points apiece from Rayah Marshall and Kayla Williams, with 11 from Okako Adika and 10 from Destiny Littleton. UCLA received a game-high 22 points from Londynn Jones along with 11 from Emily Bessoir. UCLA scored the first bucket of the second half, only to see the Trojans jet off on a 9-0 rally that featured a key 3-pointer from Taylor Bigby at 5:46 to make it 43-32 USC. UCLA would get the margin to single digits at 4:10, but that would be the last Bruin bucket to fall from the floor in the frame while USC responded with a breakaway finish from Littleton and stayed strong from the stripe to lead it 52-40 entering the fourth. The referee whistle tagged the Trojans for three fouls in the first 45 seconds of the frame to put USC on its heels while UCLA carved the deficit to 52-46. With four Trojans holding four fouls, the Bruins took advantage and found a 9-0 rally of their own to make it 52-50. Williams responded with a take to the hoop to break USC's scoring silence at 6:40. A 3-pointer for UCLA followed, and USC got its first lead of the second half after USC turned the ball over and the Bruins landed a jumper to go up 55-54 at 3:35. Try as they may, the Trojans were unable to work back on top. After Marshall fouled out with 1:39 to go, UCLA went up 58-56 on that ensuing trip to the line. Williams hit two free throws next to tie it up 58-58 with 1:16 to go, but the Trojans were unable to land a bucket until Adika's putback at the final buzzer to wrap the game as a 61-60 UCLA victory.
NOTABLE:
- JR Kayla Williams' 15 points scored today was her most as a Trojan and her third double-digit game of the season at USC.
- With three blocks today, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 36 consecutive games played.
- With 15 points, Marshall has scored in 11 games this season, tied as the most with Destiny Littleton, who had 10 points today.
- Marshall has now scored double digits in six straight games.
- With 11 points, GS Okako Adika scored in double digits for the third time this season.
- USC's 25 fouls was the most called against the Trojans this season.
- This was the first game this season that USC has had any player foul out (Marshall and Akunwafo).
- USC was missing top scorer Kadi Sissoko for this game due to injury.
- USC's 29 total rebounds was a season low.
- USC held UCLA to a season-low 30.6 shooting percentage.
- UCLA's 61 points scored was second lowest in a game this season (lowest was 59 vs. USC last month).
TRANSFER TIME
USC grad transfers Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton have emerged as top impact players in their first season as Trojans. Sissoko and Littleton are averaging 15.3 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Littleton has provided double digits in 11 games this season, and Sissoko has done so in 10 games before being sidelined temporarily by injury. Sissoko also has recorded three games with 20+ points.
COMING UP BIG
USC redshirt freshman transfer Taylor Bigby is hitting her stride as a Trojan, now with at least one 3-pointer scored in eight of USC's last 10 games. She averaged 2.8 points per game in the first five games of the year, and has averaged 8.0 ppg in the last 10 games thanks in part to a career-high 21 points vs. Merrimack.
RAYAH'S PAC-12 POWER
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 has made an indelible mark with her 33-point outing in USC's win at Oregon State. Averaging 14.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game to date, she's collected eight double-doubles this season and is one of the nation's top blockers with her 3.17 blocks per game.
2022-23 TROJANS
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!
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.
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. •
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Friday, Jan. 13 | 7 p.m.
Series Record (since 1978-79): USC leads 42-34 (L1)
Last Meeting: L 62-59 [2/4/22 • Galen Center]
TV: P12 Los Angeles (Talent: Tammy Blackburn & Jim Watson)
STREAM | STATS
USC vs. #2 Stanford (16-1, 4-0)
Galen Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
Sunday, Jan. 15 | 2 p.m.
Series Record (since 1978-79): USC trails 20-67 (L14)
Last Meeting: L 83-57 [2/6/22 • Galen Center]
TV: P12 Networks (Talent: Mary Murphy & Anne Marie Anderson)
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEK
USC gets back to Galen Center this week with two Pac-12 tilts on tap. The Trojans (11-4, 1-3 Pac-12) host California (10-5, 1-3) in a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday (Jan. 13) before taking on No. 2 Stanford (16-1, 4-0) at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 15).
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's USC-Cal clash will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles with Tammy Blackburn and Jim Watson on the call. Sunday's game vs. the Cardinal will air on Pac-12 Networks with Anne Marie Anderson and Mary Murphy on the call. Games will also stream live at pac-12.com/live.
IN THE POLLS
USC was receiving votes in the preseason USA Today poll. USC is unranked in the latest round of national rankings (as of Jan. 10). USC enters this week rated 40 in the NET rankings.
USC IN THE NATION
USC entered the week ranked as the No. 7 team in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to an average of 33.6 percent through its 11-4 start to the season. The Trojans also are top-30 in four other categories: 3-point percentage defense (8th — 23.9%), scoring defense (10th‚ 52.6 ppg), blocks per game (10th - 5.6 bpg) and steals per game (26th — 10.9 spg).
TROJANS IN THE NATION
Individually, USC enters the week with a few players making their mark on the national stat sheets. With 3.15 blocks per game, Rayah Marshall ranks No. 2 in the nation. She's also No. 6 in total blocks (41) and No. 15 in total double-doubles with eight. Marshall also is making her mark on the boards, ranked No. 16 with her 10.6 rebounds per game and No. 13 with 7.7 defensive rebounds per game. Kadi Sissoko's field goal percentage of 57.9 has her at No. 24 in the nation. And with a free-throw percentage of 89.5, Destiny Littleton ranks No. 27 in the land.
RAYAH REIGNS AS PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
USC sophomore Rayah Marshall was the driving force for the Trojans in a key Pac-12 road split, ringing in the new year with her first career selection as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Jan. 2. The versatile forward made her mark in the USC history books with the most points scored by a Trojan since 2019 when she pinned up a career-high 33 points in the Trojans' win at Oregon State on Dec. 30. She'd haul in 16 rebounds in that one and keep her blocks streak alive and well with four in USC's victory. It was the just the seventh 30-point and 15-rebound double-double by any player in the NCAA this season and the first such outing by a Trojan since at least 1999-2000. Marshall also accounted for 16 of USC's 18 points in the fourth quarter against the Beavers and had over half USC's total team rebounds in the win. At No. 17 Oregon on New Year's Day, Marshall continued her blocks streak in stretching her run to 34 straight games with at least one block while also tallying her fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It is the first career Pac-12 Player of the Week honor for Marshall and the 51st overall for the Women of Troy all-time.
LAST ACTION
USC saw a double-digit lead melt away at the hands of its rivals as No. 12 UCLA managed a fourth-quarter rally that gained the host Bruins a 61-60 win at Pauley Pavilion. Rayah Marshall and Kayla Williams were both in double digits by halftime to help the Trojans lead it 34-30 at the break. USC was shooting 44 percent from the floor to outpace UCLA's 35 percent, with the Trojans' defensive pressure helping hold the Bruins to just 11 points in the second quarter of play. UCLA was up on the boards, though, with a 20-12 rebounding advantage at halftime. The referee whistle was interruptive in the second half, with 28 fouls called in those last 20 minutes. USC got out ahead by as much as 12 points in the third quarter but as the fouls piled up two Trojans would foul out in the fourth while UCLA's shooting picked up from the floor and from the free-throw line. UCLA finished out the game shooting 30.6 percent overall and 18-of-21 from the free-throw line (10-of 12 in the fourth). USC wrapped at 40.9 percent overall and was 21-of-29 from the stripe. The Bruins won the battle of the boards 40-29. USC had four Trojans finish in double digits, with 15 points apiece from Rayah Marshall and Kayla Williams, with 11 from Okako Adika and 10 from Destiny Littleton. UCLA received a game-high 22 points from Londynn Jones along with 11 from Emily Bessoir. UCLA scored the first bucket of the second half, only to see the Trojans jet off on a 9-0 rally that featured a key 3-pointer from Taylor Bigby at 5:46 to make it 43-32 USC. UCLA would get the margin to single digits at 4:10, but that would be the last Bruin bucket to fall from the floor in the frame while USC responded with a breakaway finish from Littleton and stayed strong from the stripe to lead it 52-40 entering the fourth. The referee whistle tagged the Trojans for three fouls in the first 45 seconds of the frame to put USC on its heels while UCLA carved the deficit to 52-46. With four Trojans holding four fouls, the Bruins took advantage and found a 9-0 rally of their own to make it 52-50. Williams responded with a take to the hoop to break USC's scoring silence at 6:40. A 3-pointer for UCLA followed, and USC got its first lead of the second half after USC turned the ball over and the Bruins landed a jumper to go up 55-54 at 3:35. Try as they may, the Trojans were unable to work back on top. After Marshall fouled out with 1:39 to go, UCLA went up 58-56 on that ensuing trip to the line. Williams hit two free throws next to tie it up 58-58 with 1:16 to go, but the Trojans were unable to land a bucket until Adika's putback at the final buzzer to wrap the game as a 61-60 UCLA victory.
NOTABLE:
- JR Kayla Williams' 15 points scored today was her most as a Trojan and her third double-digit game of the season at USC.
- With three blocks today, SO Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in 36 consecutive games played.
- With 15 points, Marshall has scored in 11 games this season, tied as the most with Destiny Littleton, who had 10 points today.
- Marshall has now scored double digits in six straight games.
- With 11 points, GS Okako Adika scored in double digits for the third time this season.
- USC's 25 fouls was the most called against the Trojans this season.
- This was the first game this season that USC has had any player foul out (Marshall and Akunwafo).
- USC was missing top scorer Kadi Sissoko for this game due to injury.
- USC's 29 total rebounds was a season low.
- USC held UCLA to a season-low 30.6 shooting percentage.
- UCLA's 61 points scored was second lowest in a game this season (lowest was 59 vs. USC last month).
TRANSFER TIME
USC grad transfers Kadi Sissoko and Destiny Littleton have emerged as top impact players in their first season as Trojans. Sissoko and Littleton are averaging 15.3 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. Littleton has provided double digits in 11 games this season, and Sissoko has done so in 10 games before being sidelined temporarily by injury. Sissoko also has recorded three games with 20+ points.
COMING UP BIG
USC redshirt freshman transfer Taylor Bigby is hitting her stride as a Trojan, now with at least one 3-pointer scored in eight of USC's last 10 games. She averaged 2.8 points per game in the first five games of the year, and has averaged 8.0 ppg in the last 10 games thanks in part to a career-high 21 points vs. Merrimack.
RAYAH'S PAC-12 POWER
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 has made an indelible mark with her 33-point outing in USC's win at Oregon State. Averaging 14.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game to date, she's collected eight double-doubles this season and is one of the nation's top blockers with her 3.17 blocks per game.
2022-23 TROJANS
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!
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.
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
