Senior guard Kara Dunn scored a season high 29 points and Southern California forced 21 turnovers on the way to an 83-57 victory over Purdue on Sunday.
USC used relentless ball pressure and transition offense to take control early and never trailed after the opening minutes. The Trojans led for more than 38 minutes, built the margin to as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter and cruised to their most complete performance of the season.
The win earned the team’s first win of 2026, moving the Trojans to 11-7 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
“It’s a lot more fun to win, but I was mostly really excited about our demeanor,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I think growth from Thursday night doesn’t matter unless you continue to build on that. I thought we really did that tonight.”
Dunn was nearly unstoppable, shooting 12-for-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. She scored from all three levels, attacking closeouts, finishing in transition and punishing Purdue when it failed to rotate. Dunn had 16 points by halftime as USC opened a 42-27 lead, then added 13 more after the break to end any hopes of a comeback.
“Kara, she’s a great leader,” freshman guard Jazzy Davidson said. “She has all of our backs and she’s super experienced, so it’s just been really nice having that voice for me as a freshman and navigating through things. Obviously losing is not fun, but I feel with her leadership, it’s really helped us get through that, and I think our best days are ahead of us.”
USC’s defense set the tone. The Trojans turned Purdue’s 21 turnovers into 30 points and added 22 fast-break points, repeatedly converting steals into layups. USC finished with 10 steals and assisted on 25 of its 30 made field goals, consistently moving the ball to exploit defensive breakdowns.
Davidson added 13 points and six assists, while senior guard Londynn Jones scored 15 points off the bench and went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
The game marked sophomore guard Kennedy Smith’s return after missing three games due to a lower leg injury. Smith chipped in six assists and anchored a defense that held Purdue to 37% shooting overall. USC also controlled the paint, outscoring the Boilermakers 40-24 inside and grabbing 13 offensive rebounds.
“I thought it was incredible to have Kennedy back,” Gottlieb said. “She’s a winning player, but I think what we’re going to see going forward here is that the time without Ken, while it’s been hard, has led to growth.”
Purdue, which dropped to 10-8 (2-5), was led by redshirt junior guard Tara Daye, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 7-for-13 from the field and was the lone consistent offensive threat for the Boilermakers. Junior guard Kiki Smith added 15 points, and freshman forward Avery Gordon scored 10 off the bench, but Purdue struggled to generate clean looks for most of the afternoon.
The Boilermakers never recovered from a sluggish start. They shot just 10-for-29 in the first half and went more than four minutes without a field goal late in the second quarter as USC stretched its lead to double digits. Purdue committed nine turnovers before halftime and was forced to play from behind the rest of the way.
Any momentum Purdue found after the break was quickly erased by USC’s pressure. The Trojans opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run, fueled by steals and quick scores, pushing the lead to 54-32. Purdue managed just two fast break points for the game and struggled to get into its half-court offense against USC’s length and activity.
USC finished shooting 46.9% from the field and 35% from 3-point range, while holding Purdue to 6 of 16 shooting from beyond the arc. The Trojans also got 27 points from their bench.
The Trojans head to Michigan to play back-to-back against Michigan State on January 22 and Michigan on January 25.