Sunday, January 8
Los Angeles, Calif.
2:00 PM
USC
11-4,1-3Pac-12
60
at
61
UCLA
14-2,3-1Pac-12
1
2
3
4
F
Southern California
17
17
18
8
60
UCLA
19
11
10
21
61
Team Stats
USC
UCLA
FG%
.409
.306
3FG%
.250
.278
FT%
.724
.857
RB
29
40
TO
17
16
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: John McGillen
USC Women’s Basketball Edged Out 61-60 By No. 12 UCLA In Westwood
January 08, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Trojans fall in another tight battle with the Bruins early in Pac-12 action.
LOS ANGELES — The USC women's basketball team 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 today at Pauley Pavilion. USC goes to 11-4 overall with the Pac-12 loss, now 1-3 in conference play with its three losses all to ranked conference opponents. UCLA improves to 14-2, 3-1 with the tight home win.
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 snagged the early lead, but the Trojans reeled in the Bruins and tied it up twice, with a 3-pointer landed by Okako Adika knotting it up at 9-9 with 4:32 on the clock. A stretch of USC free throws tugged the Trojans into the lead, up 17-14 as Destiny Littleton and Kayla Williams each knocked down a trio of tosses to get USC ahead with 1:21 to go in the first. A runner from the Bruins carved into that advantage, and a late foul sent UCLA to the stripe for three tosses with 0.2 ticks to go. All three fell, and UCLA was up 19-17 entering the second. The USC defense got stuck in in the next stretch, with UCLA landing only a single 3-pointer while USC crafted a 24-22 lead thanks to back-to-back buckets from Rayah Marshall and a three from Williams at 7:25. Marshall and Williams kept coming, and USC was up 28-24 with 3:30 to go in the first half. It was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the half, as USC countered a couple UCLA threes with buckets from Marshall, Williams and Clarice Akunwafo to grip a 34-30 lead at halftime.
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.
NEXT:
USC gets back to Galen Center with two Pac-12 tilts on tap next. The Trojans host Cal in a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday (Jan. 13) before taking on Stanford at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 15).
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).
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 snagged the early lead, but the Trojans reeled in the Bruins and tied it up twice, with a 3-pointer landed by Okako Adika knotting it up at 9-9 with 4:32 on the clock. A stretch of USC free throws tugged the Trojans into the lead, up 17-14 as Destiny Littleton and Kayla Williams each knocked down a trio of tosses to get USC ahead with 1:21 to go in the first. A runner from the Bruins carved into that advantage, and a late foul sent UCLA to the stripe for three tosses with 0.2 ticks to go. All three fell, and UCLA was up 19-17 entering the second. The USC defense got stuck in in the next stretch, with UCLA landing only a single 3-pointer while USC crafted a 24-22 lead thanks to back-to-back buckets from Rayah Marshall and a three from Williams at 7:25. Marshall and Williams kept coming, and USC was up 28-24 with 3:30 to go in the first half. It was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the half, as USC countered a couple UCLA threes with buckets from Marshall, Williams and Clarice Akunwafo to grip a 34-30 lead at halftime.
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.
NEXT:
USC gets back to Galen Center with two Pac-12 tilts on tap next. The Trojans host Cal in a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday (Jan. 13) before taking on Stanford at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 15).
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).
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
