No. 9-seeded USC saw its run in the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament end Thursday as the No. 8-seeded Washington Huskies used a dominant second quarter and a relentless inside attack to pull away for a 76–64 victory.
Washington outscored USC 22–10 in the second quarter and finished with a 40–14 advantage in the paint.
“All credit goes to UW,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “They came out ready and were excellent.”
The game began as a defensive struggle, much like the teams’ previous meeting back in December, where the Trojans won 59–50. Washington scored the first four points before USC answered with a 6–0 run to take an early lead.
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson sparked the surge but briefly left the floor with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. She returned after getting it wrapped.
Defense defined the opening period. USC’s pressure forced eight Washington turnovers in the quarter, though only one came via a steal, and the Huskies managed just eight points.
Washington flipped the momentum in the second quarter.
A 9–0 Huskies run ignited the shift, and ex-USC sophomore guard Avery Howell knocked down the first 3-pointer of the game with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Washington continued to string together runs while dominating the glass — unusual for a team known for its perimeter attack — piling up 17 rebounds before halftime.
USC briefly answered when sophomore guard/forward Dayana Mendes buried the Trojans’ second 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 30–20 late in the second, but the Huskies beat the buzzer, scoring with less than a second left to extend the lead.
The Huskies scored 20 points in the paint in the first half alone, matching USC’s entire offensive output by that point. Washington took control defensively as well, holding the Trojans without a double-digit scorer before the break while building a 32–20 halftime lead.
Washington maintained command after the break. Another late basket just before the end of the third quarter helped the Huskies carry a 20-point lead into the fourth.
By then, USC’s offense continued to struggle. Davidson, clearly bothered by the shoulder injury, spent stretches on the bench as the Trojans appeared to manage her minutes with the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament approaching. Davidson’s eight points broke her 26 consecutive game double-figure scoring streak.
Washington stretched its advantage to as many as 23 points early in the fourth quarter behind efficient scoring from senior guard Elle Ladine and Howell.
USC mounted a late push, outscoring Washington 28–20 in the fourth quarter behind 19 points from senior guard Londynn Jones and 14 from sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, but the deficit proved too large to overcome.
“It’s disappointing that it took us a while to really be in the fight,” Gottlieb said. “I do think we responded and tried to show up a little better in the second half, but against a really good team, it’s a little too late.”
Ladine finished with 25 points to lead Washington, while Howell added 18 points and nine rebounds.
Redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams had nine points and 13 rebounds for USC.
Despite forcing 18 turnovers and holding Washington’s leading scorer junior guard Sayvia Sellers without a field goal, the Trojans couldn’t capitalize, shooting just 31% from the field and managing only 14 points in the paint.
“We’re confident in who we are, we know the people that we have, the staff that we have,” Jones said. “When you lean on that, and you go back to what you know you can do, that always helps. It happens to every team.”
USC’s run in the conference tournament ends with the Trojans now turning their attention to resetting before the NCAA Tournament. Washington advances to face top-seed UCLA in the quarterfinals.
“I’m excited that we’ve done enough this year to continue playing in the NCAA Tournament and have another chance to be at our best,” Gottlieb said. “I know that our players will respond. We are going to take some rest time and some practice time to get better.”
Selection Sunday for the tournament will take place on Sunday, March 15, at 8 p.m. ET.