After losing all five starters from last season and adding seven transfers in the offseason — not to mention the head coach missing the end of the preseason on maternity leave — it would make sense for USC women’s basketball to start the year slowly.
The Trojans didn’t, though, emphatically kicking off the regular season with an 86-41 thumping of CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday night at Galen Center.
If anything, the Trojans say they are using the hectic offseason to their advantage.
“We’re a new team, and nobody really knows who we are,” graduate guard Destiny Littleton, a transfer from South Carolina, said postgame.
Additionally, the Trojans evolved their mindset in the absence of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Associate head coach Beth Burns, who has a more hard-nosed, defensive approach to coaching, led the team in her absence and was interim head coach for its exhibition game against Cal State L.A. on October 30.
“I was really impressed with our players’ grit and work ethic while I was gone,” Gottlieb said after officially returning to the Trojans’ bench for the first time since the birth of her daughter last month. “I don’t think [the players] realize it — they have an energy about them, and they’re building a culture and habits. I think a lot of that Coach Burns took on herself, but I think the players really embraced it too.”
USC dictated the game in the paint from the get-go. Without making a shot from more than two feet away from the basket, the Trojans got out to a quick 10-0 lead. The tall, talented frontcourt duo of graduate forward Kadi Sissoko and sophomore guard Rayah Marshall proved difficult for the Roadrunners to defend, with both making frequent cuts in behind the defense and then using their height to get easy buckets at the rim.
The Trojans had their way on the other end of the floor, too, likely to the delight of Coach Burns. CSU Bakersfield was held without a point for the opening six minutes, and its first points came via the free throw line. The Roadrunners didn’t make their first field goal until under a minute left in the first quarter, and USC had already opened up a 20-2 lead by then.
With a commanding lead right away, Gottlieb wasn’t afraid to rotate early and often given the team’s many new faces. Ten players, including all seven transfers, saw action for USC in just the first quarter. Two transfers, Littleton and junior forward Koi Love, saw their first game action in cardinal and gold after missing the exhibition game due to injury. Each had a strong debut, with Littleton contributing 13 points and five assists and Love adding six points and seven boards.
“It feels good to be back home, to finally wear this jersey, to finally represent USC like I have always wanted my whole life,” Littleton, a San Diego native, said.
Littleton struggled from behind the arc, going 0-for-6 for the game, but had a lot of success drawing contact. She went to the line six times in the first half alone and didn’t miss a free throw.
Sissoko was impressive on offense, especially when she beat a Roadrunner off the dribble for a layup that put the USC bench on its feet in the second quarter. After 11-of-14 shooting from the field in the Trojans’ exhibition game, she remained efficient on Tuesday, making five of six shots in the first half.
Though not quite as commanding as the first quarter, the game remained all Trojans through the remainder of the first half. They led CSU Bakersfield 46-14 at halftime; the Roadrunners had more turnovers (12) than field goals (5).
Nevertheless, it wasn’t a perfect game by USC, who still has room for improvement given its massive roster turnover this past offseason. In fact, speaking of turnovers, the Trojans had 11 in the first half. USC also couldn’t find much of a rhythm from 3-point range either, starting the game 3-of-13 from deep.
However, the Trojans ironed out those issues at the start of the second half. They turned the ball over only three times in the third quarter, while still having success in the fast break. Sophomore guard Bella Perkins also caught fire from behind the arc, cashing in a trio of triples in the third.
“I really trust in our ability to shoot,” Gottlieb said. “I did feel like they were starting to pack the paint at the end of the first half…I thought the kick might be out and we were able to do that.”
But USC’s defense remained stellar throughout the contest. CSU Bakersfield had another scoreless stretch of over five minutes that bridged halftime and missed its first 10 threes of the game. Marshall, who continues to emerge as one of college basketball’s elite defenders, had five rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the third quarter alone, playing just six minutes in that period.
“That’s what we expect of her,” Gottlieb said of Marshall’s defensive performance, as she finished with a double-double that included 12 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in total. “Her timing on shot blocking is really impeccable … She hasn’t even reached her ceiling.”
USC took its foot off the gas pedal slightly in the second half, though the Trojans were still clearly the better team all game. Graduate transfer guard Okako Adika started the fourth quarter strong, scoring seven points in under two minutes. She finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. The TCU transfer could be a very important piece for USC all year, as she appears to be one of the team’s more consistent scorers outside the paint.
Despite some inconsistency with turning the ball over, the Trojans’ ball movement was a bright spot overall for the game. USC had 24 assists on 30 made field goals.
“When we’re at our best, the ball is moving,” Gottlieb said. “I actually think our turnovers come when we’re not doing that.”
USC is back in action this Saturday against Idaho State, with tip-off at Galen Center scheduled for 7 p.m.