Finding one specific moment to lead this recap is near impossible.
The second-ever double-overtime thriller in the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament delivered just what the fans wanted — 50 minutes of straight highlight reels.
The familiar crosstown rivals weren’t battling on their turf this time, after each team won at home to split their regular-season series. Instead, they took it to Las Vegas for a decisive third meeting this season, where No. 2 seed USC outlasted No. 3 seed UCLA 80-70 to punch a ticket to their first Pac-12 tournament championship game since 2014.
“Obviously, words aren’t going to feel like it does it justice,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “What an epic evening for women’s college basketball, for our program, for the L.A. rivalry.”
Nevertheless, it was far from a smooth-sailing victory for USC.
The semifinal matchup settled in 50 minutes, but the first 50 seconds were enough to make Trojan fans hold their breath. That’s when freshman guard phenom JuJu Watkins went down clutching her ankle after a Bruin basket, and was helped into the locker room.
Four minutes ticked by with Watkins off the court — an eternity for USC. But she returned and posted six points right away, propelling the Trojans to a dominant 24-8 first quarter. Watkins would later exit in the first overtime for a couple minutes after another hard fall, but she returned yet again after some time on the bench to help force another added period.
“Even when I went out, I knew I had to get back in because I think my team needed me,” Watkins said. “But it’s just an ankle. Nothing I’m not used to.”
After a scorching start, making nine of their first 16 shots, USC went ice cold. The team only converted 6-of-33 attempts during a brutal shooting drought that lasted into the fourth quarter. This offensive collapse completely dismantled their early lead; UCLA surged back in front in the second quarter, though USC still held a 37-31 halftime advantage.
The game became a grueling tug-of-war as fatigue crept in on both teams. Their offensive efficiency plummeted, but the Trojans repeatedly found their way to the free-throw line.
The reliance on drawing fouls was especially clear in the second half and overtime periods. Out of their 43 total points during this stretch, 22 came from the charity stripe. USC’s combination of physicality and smart defense earned them a significant advantage at the line, attempting a total of 37 free throws compared to UCLA’s 17.
“It was, like, a bruising, physical game,” Gottlieb said. “Nothing about it was particularly pretty except for the beauty of toughness.”
And, indeed, the closing moments of regulation were far from a thing of beauty. As the clock read 1:18 remaining, Watkins found UCLA defenders all over her, as usual. Watkins had three shots to give USC a critical lead — and missed all of them.
A rare block by graduate guard Kayla Padilla meant the Trojans had one more potential game-winning attempt. And of course, the ball found Watkins. But it didn’t stay in her hands for long, as she turned the ball over with 2.1 seconds left.
UCLA’s inbound found sophomore guard Kiki Rice, who was matched up against graduate forward Kaitlyn Davis. Rice hesitated, and the final buzzer sounded before a shot could be attempted.
Overtime.
These additional minutes saw even more physicality, but the same fate for the Bruins, as they couldn’t get a shot up before the final buzzer. After a game-tying 3-pointer by graduate guard McKenzie Forbes, Davis’ clutch block on sophomore center Lauren Betts was called a held ball, which gave possession to the Trojans. A Watkins miss on the other end led to a UCLA timeout. Graduate guard Charisma Osborne had the final possession; she dribbled along the baseline but didn’t shoot as time ran out.
Double overtime.
The second extra period finally drew the curtain on the chess match, arguably the best battle of USC’s season. But one team was destined to run out of moves — and it wasn’t going to be the Trojans.
A 13-3 run in the final five minutes for USC put the game out of reach. Watkins finished the game with a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Forbes poured in 17 points. Despite only eight in the scoring column, Davis came down with a season-high 16 rebounds and was behind some of USC’s most significant moments in the win.
“I cannot say enough words about [Davis and Watkins],” Gottlieb said. “The stat sheet does not define and properly show how their guts are still lying on that court.”
Watkins also set the new tournament record for points in a game by a freshman, passing the previous record of 31 by USC’s own Cassie Harberts in 2011.
Despite shooting just 5-for-18 from the field, Osborne led her team in scoring with 21 points along with five rebounds.
The Trojans found success battling for position in the paint, as they kept UCLA’s leading scorer Betts to a meager 16 shot attempts in 41 minutes of action. Notably, the UCLA star was held scoreless whenever junior center Clarice Akunwafo guarded her.
“I would imagine we’ll see a lot of Clarice on Sunday with her size,” Gottlieb said. “C is an incredible athlete, pound for pound, physically, she’s a great individual defender.”
No. 2 seed USC’s win sets a final matchup on Sunday at 2 p.m. against No. 1 seed Stanford at MGM Grand Garden Arena.