No. 21 USC women’s basketball fell to unranked Oregon at Galen Center on Tuesday, as the Ducks took control late in the fourth quarter to secure the upset win 71-66. Oregon snapped the Trojans’ four game winning streak in the series, interrupting a recent run of Trojan success.
USC reached a 17-point lead in the first quarter, but Oregon remained close throughout.
USC’s shot selection took a turn for the worse in the second half. Their lack of offensive discipline made room for Oregon to play and capitalize in transition, which they took full advantage of.
“It was gross in every way — how we handled when we had a lead, the way we handled when they were cutting into our lead,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
In the fourth quarter the teams stayed neck-in-neck until there was 4:30 remaining. Junior guard Ari Long hit a three pointer, making the score 69-66. That shot marked their first lead of the game. Oregon went on to score 14 straight points to secure the win.
Two players left the court with double-doubles: Oregon sophomore forward Ehis Etute contributed17 points and 13 rebounds, and USC freshman guard Jazzy Davidson scored 14 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Kara Dunn led all scorers with 21 points.
Despite the loss, USC still leads the all-time series against Oregon 31-19.
USC and Oregon share a women’s basketball history defined by long stretches of dominance from both programs. Since the series began in 1990, USC controlled the series through the early 2000s with a lengthy winning run. Oregon flipped the script beginning in 2016, stringing together 12 consecutive wins from February 2016 through January 2023.
Following that stretch, USC rebounded with four straight wins prior to last night’s matchup. Oregon’s win snapped that run, marking another swing in a rivalry defined by momentum shifts.
USC also felt the absence of sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, who was unable to compete against the Ducks due to a lower leg injury sustained during the team’s loss to UCLA on Jan. 3. Smith remains day-to-day according to the program.
The Trojans will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road on January 11.
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