USC Women's Basketball Outlasts Wisconsin 66-59

Thursday, February 19

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:00 p.m.

USC

17-9,9-6Big Ten

Wisconsin

13-14,5-11Big Ten

Wisconsin

Southern California

Photo by: Katie Chin/USC Athletics

USC Women's Basketball Outlasts Wisconsin 66-59

February 19, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Press Conference Highlights

Trojans win sixth straight Big Ten conference game

LOS ANGELES - USC women's basketball pushed its winning streak to six games on Thursday evening, logging a 66-59 victory over Wisconsin at the Galen Center.

USC improves to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in conference play with the win.

Wisconsin controlled the opening tip, but it was senior Kara Dunn who got the Women of Troy on the board first who finished a layup off an assist from freshman Jazzy Davidson. USC's defense quickly set the tone, forcing six first-quarter turnovers that translated into 10 points. With under a minute to play in the period, Davidson completed a three-point play to give USC a 14-10 edge.

Davidson opened the second frame with a driving layup and later knocked down the game's first three-pointer at the 6:30 mark to stretch USC's lead to 23-13. The Trojans dominated the transition game in the first half, holding a 13-3 advantage in fast break points and a 12-4 edge in points off turnovers. Davidson led all scorers with 10 first-half points, while redshirt freshman Laura Williams anchored the paint with four blocks and six rebounds before the break. USC entered halftime up 30-22.

The third quarter belonged to Davidson, who was flawless in the period, scoring 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. USC outscored Wisconsin 21-20 in the quarter to take a 51-42 lead into the final frame.

Junior Dayana Mendes opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a triple to push the margin to 56-42. Despite late effort from Wisconsin, but USC's defensive pressure and transition efficiency held firm. The Trojans finished with a 15-3 advantage in fast break points and a 17-10 edge in points off turnovers to secure the 66-59 win.

Davidson finished with 24 points and six assists, accounting for 37 of USC's 66 points. She has now scored in double figures in 23 consecutive games, recorded 20 or more points in four straight contests and reached the 20-point mark 11 times this season. Dunn added 14 points, extending her double-figure streak to 16 consecutive games, while Williams posted a career-high 14 rebounds and matched her career best with four blocks.

USC will now head east for one final road trip of the season, taking on No. 10 Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 22 and Penn State on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

NOTES:

The Trojans remain undefeated against the Badgers (2-0)
USC now has sixth consecutive wins (longest winning streak of the season)
FR Jazzy Davidson has now scored in double figures in 23 consecutive games, 20+ points in four consecutive games and 20+ points in 11 games overall this season. She accounted for 37 of the Trojans' points with her 24 points scored and six assists to contribute an additional 13. Davidson also drew seven fouls and made six free throws.
R-FR Laura Williams recorded a career-high 14 rebounds and matched her career high in blocks with four
With 14 points, SR Kara Dunn has now scored in double figures for 16 consecutive games. Dunn also had seven rebounds
The Trojans led the Badgers in fast break points (15-3) and points off turnovers (17-10)

QUOTES:

Lindsay Gottlieb | Head Coach

On winning during Cancer Awareness Night:
"[It's a] special day to be able to play for things that are bigger than ourselves. [We're] proud of the fact that we've raised a bunch of money, led by Coach [Beth Burns] and [Kennedy Smith], to help preventative options and screenings for women in underserved communities to get the testing that they need… [To] have people in the building who have fought, or are fighting, a terrible disease gives us inspiration. It makes us value what it is we get to do. It's always great to win on the pink game."

On overall performance tonight:
"We were super locked in, especially when shots weren't falling. Laura [Williams] was an absolute dynamo on the boards… It was just really fun to see our perimeter do what they needed to do on Wisconsin's really great shooting team. It wasn't our best day on offense, but we'll take it and hopefully continue to play well on this long road trip we got coming up."

On Laura Williams' performance against Wisconsin:
"There's no question with the increased minutes and increased reps, her trajectory has gone up. She is only a [redshirt] freshman coming off an injury, so everything's new. You've just seen that comfortability and what she's capable of come [in]. Her instincts have always been good, and her athleticism and her effort have been good… Her athleticism is elite, her length and just her will. [There aren't] a lot of plays she quits on. Even if [she] makes a mistake, [she's] still playing hard and [she's] long. [She] can make up for it. I think that's been something that we've really seen happen a lot."

Jazzy Davidson | Fr | G

On maintaining her health during first year of college basketball:
"Recovery is everything. We have a great trainer here, so making sure that I go to recovery, get treatment that I need [and] hydration has been huge for me this year. And then, just eating enough to maintain my weight and [trying] to put [on] more weight."

Laura Williams | R-Fr | F

On development and training her first year of college basketball:
"Last year, I was hurt, so coming back this year, it took me a minute to get my rhythm, and now I know that I can do what I can do, how to help the team, [and I] just want to win. So however I can contribute to that, and I found that I am good at rebounding and can block shots. So, if that's what I can do in the game more, then that's what I'll do."