No. 18 USC Women's Basketball Opens Season Against New Mexico State

Tuesday, November 4

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

USC

New Mexico State

Tickets

Kennedy Smith dribbles the ball down the court

No. 18 USC Women's Basketball Opens Season Against New Mexico State

November 02, 2025 | Women's Basketball

USC Record Book Game Notes

Trojans look to carry momentum from historic 2024-25 season.

THIS WEEK:
No. 18 USC women's basketball is set to open the 2025-26 season on Tuesday, Nov. 4 as the Trojans host New Mexico State for a 7 p.m. clash at the Galen Center.

2025-26 PREVIEW
This season, the Trojans return seven key players from last year's squad that helped cement USC as one of the nation's elite programs, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. USC's talent pool deepens even further with the addition of four high-impact transfers, including former UCLA standout Londynn Jones and Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn. Jazzy Davidson, the lone true freshman, brings top-tier potential to an already competitive roster as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025.

USC also reloaded through the transfer portal, welcoming Gerda Raulušaityte (Lithuania), Kara Dunn (Georgia Tech), Londynn Jones (UCLA), Dayana Mendes (Washington State) and Yakiya Milton (Auburn) to Los Angeles. That group joins a talented core of returners including junior Malia Samuels, sophomores Rian Forestier, Vivian Iwuchukwu and Brooklyn Shamblin and redshirt freshman Laura Williams, giving the Trojans one of the deepest and most versatile rosters in the country.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Aggies are coming off an 18-16 campaign (10-8 in Conference USA play) and will look to build on that foundation with a mix of returning contributors and fresh talent. Under third year head coach Jody Adams, the Aggies welcome eight new student athletes, with five collegiate transfers and a trio of freshmen.

2024-25 RECAP
The Trojans are fresh off a dominant 2024–25 campaign that included a Big Ten regular-season title, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and a return trip to the Elite Eight. USC's 31–4 overall record marked its most wins since 1986 and solidified Lindsay Gottlieb's group as a national powerhouse in its inaugural season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

At the center of that success, JuJu Watkins, who made history as USC's third-ever Naismith Trophy winner. Watkins, who also earned the John R. Wooden Award and was named a unanimous All-American, elevated the program to new heights last year. The 2024-25 sophomore helped the Trojans reach their highest national ranking in four decades — climbing to No. 2 in the country the week of March 4, 2025.

FOLLOW ALONG
USC's game against New Mexico State will be streamed on Big Ten Plus (B1G+). All of USC's games also are available live on ESPN LA 710 AM / ESPN LA App with audio also streamed at USCTrojans.com/listen and the USC Trojans GameDay app with Eli Kleinmann on the radio call.

BIG TEN PRESEASON POLLS

Entering its second season in the Big Ten Conference, USC women's basketball was picked No. 4 in the Coaches Preseason Poll on October 2, 2025. The Women of Troy earned the No. 3 spot in the media's preseason rankings.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Trojans will have no shortage of tests throughout the season as USC is slated to face 10 teams ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25, including six matchups against preseason top 10 opponents. Gottlieb's squad will take on the nation's top three preseason ranked programs - No. 1 UConn, No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 UCLA (twice), in what is arguably one of the toughest schedules in women's college basketball.

With 16 home games, 10 road contests and three marquee neutral-site matchups, the Women of Troy will be battle-tested by March. 17 of USC's opponents made the 2025 NCAA Tournament, with

sixteen of those games airing on national television.

GOTTLIEB GETS IT
Now entering her fifth season as head coach at USC, Lindsay Gottlieb has guided Women of Troy to historic runs with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances in 2024 and 2025. Also a two-time finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title in 2024 and its first-ever Big Ten regular-season title in 2025. USC also earned a No. 1 seed in the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Tournaments, marking the first time in over 40 years the program has done so.

NAISMITH NODS
USC women's basketball sophomore Kennedy Smith and freshman Jazzy Davidson are in line for top college hoops honors, as both were selected to the 2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time.

Three Trojans have won the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy a total of five times - JuJu Watkins (2025), Lisa Leslie (1994) and Cheryl Miller (1984, 1985 and 1986). Four Trojans were named to the 2024-25 watch list last season as Rayah Marshall, Kiki Iriafen, Talia von Oelhoffen and the eventual 2025 winner Watkins all received preseason nods.

DUNN DUNN DUNN
As she sets up for her first season as a Trojan, grad transfer Kara Dunn has earned a place on the Preseason Watch List for the prestigious Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which goes to the top shooting guard in the nation. Dunn is one of 20 candidates on the Preseason Watch List, as announced today (Oct. 29) by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

Dunn joins the Women of Troy this season as a grad transfer from Georgia Tech, where she earned a spot on the All-ACC First Team during the 2024-25 season, leading the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 15.5 points per game and starting all 33 games in their run to the NCAA Tournament. She shot 49.3 percent from the floor and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line while hitting 52 threes and was second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Dunn was selected a USBWA National Player of the Week in helping Georgia Tech to a 14-0 start to the season, putting up a season-high 28 points in a win over Pitt. As a sophomore, she also averaged 15.5 points per game for the Jackets, starting 26 of 30 games played that year. She was a 2024 All-ACC Second Team selection as a sophomore, also earning an ACC Player of the Week pick along the way. Before arriving at Georgia Tech, Dunn was ranked as the No. 2 recruit out of Georgia in 2022, having won a Class A Private state title with Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga., as a high school senior.

The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its ninth year, honors the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.

USC's JuJu Watkins has won the prestigious award the past two seasons.

SMITH LEADING THE WAY
Now in her second season at USC, Smith has developed into an on- and off-court leader for the Women of Troy, who enter their second season in the Big Ten and won the conference's regular-season title earlier this year. Honored with a place on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season, Smith was instrumental in driving the Trojans to the NCAA Elite Eight, where she earned a spot on the NCAA Spokane Region 4 All-Tournament Team. In all, Smith averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game along with a team-best 2.2 steals per game last season. She also knocked down 37 threes for the Trojans during her freshman campaign. After helping USC's squad reach the NCAA Elite Eight as a freshman, Smith was called up to the U.S. National Team, where she helped Team USA win gold at the FIBA AmeriCup. This season, Smith will play a large role as one of the few returning starters from last season.

YOU LIKE JAZZ?
Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025 by ESPN, earned Naismith All-America First Team honors in her senior season at Clackamas High in Oregon. She was a McDonald's All-American, 2025 Naismith Trophy High School finalist and a four-time Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year. Davidson has won three gold medals as a member of Team USA, competing at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2024 FIBA USA 3x3 World Cup and 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup. She also was a member of the 2025 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team.

NEW FACES
USC heavily reloaded through the transfer portal during the offseason, welcoming Gerda Raulušaityte of Lithuania, Kara Dunn (Georgia Tech), Londynn Jones (UCLA), Dayana Mendes (Washington State) and Yakiya Milton (Auburn). All-in-all, eight Trojans look to make their USC debut against NMSU.

GOLDEN GIRLS
Two USC players won gold medals in international action over the summer, with 2025 Big Ten All-Freshman and All-Defensive Team honoree Kennedy Smith winning gold with Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup. Freshman and the nation's No. 1 recruit Jazzy Davidson , meanwhile, grabbed gold with the United States at the FIBA U19 World Cup.

SMITH THE SERVANT LEADER
USC's Kennedy Smith was selected as a recipient of the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award ahead of the 2025-26 season. The award recognized student-athletes who exemplify the values of leadership, selflessness and service, embodying the Hall of Fame basketball coach Kay Yow.

Smith is joined by a cohort of other women's basketball players across the nation. Award recipients are distinguished by a special patch on their game-worn jerseys, symbolizing their role as servant leaders. The patch embodies the character traits of Kay Yow – uplifting, powerful, drawing and giving strength.

WATKINS WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT
The 2024-25 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year, Watkins, who sustained a season-ending injury during the NCAA Second Round, won the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award. She also was named the the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year by the USBWA and was one of four finalists for the Wade Trophy and a finalist for the Honda Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Watkins also won the ESPY's Best Female Athlete award.

Additionally, Watkins was named the National Player of the Year by the Associated Press, The Athletic and Sporting News as well as an All-America pick by the WBCA Coaches. During her sophomore campaign, Watkins went big in the seven games she played against AP top-10 opponents in particular. She posted her 20th career 30-point game to help propel her Trojans to an 80-67 win over rival No. 2 UCLA to claim the Big Ten regular-season championship. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Watkins averaged 26.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 35.4 percent from 3-point range against top-10 opponents. That was better than her overall and also-impressive averages of 23.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her sophomore season.

FORESTIER MOVING FWARD
USC Trojans women's basketball guard Rian Forestier is doing more than just playing basketball, the former Brandeis High School standout from San Antonio, Texas, is also the founder of 4WARD, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing middle school girls with proper basketball shoes. Most recently, Forestier and FWARD surprised the entire Lawndale girls basketball team with new A'ja Wilson Nike A'One basketball shoes.

Forestier first conceived the idea for 4WARD after a conversation with her mother and an AAU teammate. The teammate shared how she was bullied for not having proper shoes during her first basketball workout, and the experience nearly caused her to quit the sport altogether. That moment stuck with Forestier, who saw firsthand how something as simple as the right footwear could shape a young athlete's future.

Rian Forestier's nonprofit goes beyond just providing shoes. It's about giving young athletes confidence and a chance to stay in the game they love. Many girls hesitate to try out or quit because they don't have the proper equipment, and Forestier saw firsthand how something as simple as a pair of basketball shoes can impact self-esteem and participation.USC is truly unmatched.

WNBA SUCCESS USC women's basketball's Kiki Iriafen followed up an All-American season as a Trojan with All-Star and All-Rookie Team efforts in the WNBA. The No. 4 recruit in the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Washington Mystics, Iriafen wrapped her first season in the league with selection to the Associated Press All-Rookie Team. That followed a rare rookie inclusion to the 2025 WNBA All-Star game for Iriafen.

With her No. 4 overall pick by the Washington Mystics, Iriafen became USC's first top-10 WNBA Draft selection since Ebony Hoffman was No. 9 in 2004. She is the fourth overall top-10 pick out of USC and highest since 1997 when Tina Thompson was No. 1 and Pam McGee was No. 2. Rayah Marshall scored the 25th overall selection, picked in the second round by the Connecticut Sun.

THE PLACE TO BE.
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world.