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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — 2023-24
USC vs. UCLA — live updates
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(Bryce Dechert / Daily Trojan)
📌 PINNED
Thomas Johnson & Leila MacKenzie from MGM Grand Garden Arena; photos by Bryce Dechert
It’s the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, and this one’s as big as it gets. No. 2-seeded USC is vying to bury its crosstown rival No. 3-seeded UCLA.
The No. 5 ranked Trojans split their regular season series with No. 7 UCLA. Tonight, they’re looking to get the upper hand and advance to their first Pac-12 tournament finals since 2014.
We’ll be reporting live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Refresh to see new updates.
10:13 p.m.
TROJANS WIN.
No. 2-seeded USC defeats No. 3-seeded UCLA in double overtime to advance to its first Pac-12 tournament finals since 2014.
10:11 p.m.
It looks like this game is going to end… finally. USC is ahead 78-70 and the Bruins are beginning to foul with 11.8 seconds remaining.
10:07 p.m.
Coming out of the short break, Watkins hit both of her free-throws. The Trojans are winning by six with less than 30 seconds remaining.
10:04 p.m.
The Bruins’ KiKi Rice acquired her fifth and final foul of the game on offense. USC needs to hold onto a 4-point lead through the final 30 seconds to win this game.
10:02 p.m.
Watkins threads junior center Rayah Marshall the ball in the paint as the shot clock expired and Marshall poked it into the basket. USC now leads 74-68 with 1:25 left in the game.
10:00 p.m.
McKenzie Forbes hit a contested jumper to put the Trojan lead at four with just over two minutes remaining.
9:59 p.m.
9:54 p.m.
9:52 p.m.
The end of the first overtime looks eerily similar to the end of regulation. The Trojans could not hit their shot and the Bruins have the ball with 1.8 seconds left.
9:47 p.m.
Watkins hits the first free-throw and misses the second. The Trojans snatch the rebound and McKenzie Forbes drills a three to tie the game at 67 apiece.
On the defensive end of the court, Kaitlyn Davis forces a held ball and USC has possession with the game tied at 67 and 20.3 seconds left.
9:47 p.m.
Inside the final minute, the Bruins’ KiKi Rice converted a layup to keep UCLA’s lead at 4.
9:42 p.m.
After briefly entering the locker room, Watkins is back on the floor with a slight limp. USC trails 65-61.
9:41 p.m.
Watkins is rolling on the floor in pain and was assisted off the court.
In response to no foul being called, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb is shouting, “It’s absurd. It’s absurd.” at the referees.
9:36 p.m.
UCLA doesn’t get a shot off in time and this game is headed to overtime.
9:31 p.m.
The Bruins call a timeout with 2.1 seconds left in regulation.
UCLA has possession and the opportunity to send the Trojans home with a basket.
9:31 p.m.
With 25 seconds left, Kayla Padilla comes up with an insane block on the Bruins’ Londynn Jones potential game-winning layup. The Trojans have the ball as the score is tied at 59 with 18.1 seconds remaining.
9:31 p.m.
One minute remains and the Trojans are struggling to shoot, but they sure know how to make second-chance opportunities for themselves.
9:29 p.m.
The Bruins call a timeout after UCLA senior forward Angela Dugalic ties the game at 59 with a clutch three-pointer.
9:28 p.m.
With four minutes remaining, the Bruins’ sophomore center Lauren Betts checked back in alongside USC junior center Rayah Marshall.
Although they’ve both been rebounding machines — they have 20 rebounds combined — neither have found much success shooting.
9:21 p.m.
Watkins was issued an offensive foul — her fourth personal foul of the game — which revoked a basket that could prove vital as this one-point game enters the final five minutes of play.
9:16 p.m.
After a brief scare, the Trojans have regained the lead at 55-54.
Watkins lofted up two tough jumpers on back-to-back possessions and converted each of them.
9:12 p.m.
Free-throws are really keeping USC alive. Kayla Padilla hit a trio of free-throws to put the Trojans back on top, but the Bruins are beginning to find consistency on offense.
9:11 p.m.
The Bruins have their first lead of the second half 49-48 as the Trojans can’t get the ball into the hoop.
9:08 p.m.
The USC still leads the Bruins 48-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
This game is getting chippy, sloppy and just about every other -ppy that comes to mind. Both teams are struggling with shooting as they converted a combined 5 shots in the third quarter.
9:02 p.m.
Graduate forward Kaitlyn Davis hobbled off the court with 36.7 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Davis has been an absolute rock for the Trojans on both ends of the court tonight.
8:56 p.m.
The Trojans appear to be out of their shooting funk. Watkins just nailed a triple to put the USC lead at 46-41.
8:54 p.m.
The Bruins had converted just one shot on their last 10 attempts until sophomore forward Gabriela Jaquez nailed a triple to cut the USC lead to 1 point.
On the next USC possession, Kayla Padilla responded with a layup, ending the Trojans’ 6:14 minute shooting drought.
8:49 p.m.
There are flopping allegations directed at JuJu Watkins swirling around MGM Grand Garden, but the loud thumps on the floor as Watkins hits the deck tell a totally different story.
8:45 p.m.
Luckily the Trojans are doing a good job of getting in the face of the Bruins on offense because they haven’t found any success from the field this quarter.
USC is shooting 0-4 in the third quarter despite having plenty of second-chance opportunities.
8:23 p.m.
Despite allowing the Bruins to claw their way back, the Trojans will enter halftime with a 6-point lead, up 37-31 at the break.
No surprises here, JuJu Watkins leads all scorers with 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting.
Turnovers were a problem for USC last night, but only had four giveaways in the first two quarters of play.
8:19 p.m.
Charisma Osborne — the Bruins’ leading scorer tonight — spent an extended period of time on the court, but was able to walk off the floor with very little assistance.
8:15 p.m.
As the Bruins’ Charisma Osborne hits three straight free-throws, UCLA has its first lead of the second quarter 31-30.
8:12 p.m.
It looks like whoever wins this game will have to win it at the free-throw line. There have been 15 combined free-throw attempts as the Trojans are narrowly ahead 30-28.
8:06 p.m.
And just like that, USC’s lead is down to 3 points. The Trojans entered the period leading by 16, but the resilient Bruins have fought their way back.
Back-to-back threes from the Bruins’ graduate guard Charisma Osborne force the Trojans into a timeout for a much-needed reset.
8:02 p.m.
It’s been a foul fest in Vegas. The Trojans have four fouls in the second quarter less than four minutes into the period. USC still leads 26-17, but its lead has diminished this frame.
7:54 p.m.
Junior center Clarice Akunwafo did a terrific job guarding UCLA’s 6-foot-7 sophomore center Lauren Betts in the opening frame. Betts had 4 points in the first quarter, but did not score after Akunwafo entered the game.
7:52 p.m.
Watkins hits the dagger from deep in the closing seconds of the quarter to extend USC’s lead to 16 points. The Trojans are up 24-8 over their rivals after one period.
7:50 p.m.
A McKenzie Forbes catch-and-shoot 3-pointer forces UCLA to take a timeout, as the Trojans lead 21-8 with 55.7 seconds left in the first quarter. This one is far from over, but a good start nonetheless for USC.
7:40 p.m.
Watkins is already back on the court, running downhill and straight to the basket.
7:38 p.m.
Watkins is out of the locker room and is heading straight to the scorer’s table. The Trojans did a good job of keeping the Bruins at bay without their star, as they lead 10-8.
7:34 p.m.
Freshman guard JuJu Watkins is heading back to the locker room 48 seconds into the game in obvious pain to one of her legs.
7:27 p.m.
Here is how USC — coming in as 5.5-point underdogs according to MGM despite earning a higher seed in the tournament — will line up against UCLA:
G Kayla Padilla
G McKenzie Forbes
G JuJu Watkins
C/F Rayah Marshall
F Kaitlyn Davis
7:18 p.m.
Tipoff is 10 minutes away between the No. 2-seeded USC Trojans and the No. 3-seeded UCLA Bruins.
If USC hopes to beat its crosstown rivals for a second time this season, freshman guard JuJu Watkins will have to shoot better than her 35.7% percentage from the field last night against No. 7-seeded Arizona.
The Bruins, with a mere five losses on the season, will pose a much stiffer task than the Wildcats and the Trojans will need their star on her A-game to advance to the Pac-12 tournament championship.
