Friday, November 10
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM
USC
2-0,0-0Pac-12
67
vs
51
Florida Gulf Coast
1-1,0-0ASUN
1
2
3
4
F
FGCU
11
8
19
13
51
Southern California
14
19
25
9
67
Team Stats
FGCU
USC
FG%
.321
.450
3FG%
.273
.211
FT%
.733
.600
RB
39
34
TO
20
10
STL
4
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: USC Athletics
No. 21 USC Women’s Basketball Nets 67-51 Win Over FGCU At Galen Center
November 10, 2023 | Women's Basketball
An energetic crowd saw the Women of Troy net a nice win in their home opener behind 18-point outings from Watkins and Marshall.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 21 USC women's basketball team drew its largest Galen Center crowd since 2010 in the Trojans' home opener tonight, picking up its second win of the season on a 67-51 victory over visiting Florida Gulf Coast. All 11 available Women of Troy got in the game, with Aaliyah Gayles and Roxane Makolo both making their USC debuts in the victory. Also at the game, USC honored the 1984 NCAA Championship team, which claimed back-to-back NCAA titles with a roster of legends including Cheryl Miller and Pamela and Paula McGee, who were in attendance at tonight's game.
USC recovered from a slow start to the game, heating up to go 48-percent from the floor by halftime and lead it 33-19 at the break. USC's defense forced four shot-clock violations out of FGCU in the first half, and the Eagles were at 29 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes of play. FGCU was ahead on the board, however, leading 20-14, but USC's scoring depth of six different scorers helped keep the Trojans out ahead. FGCU got to within five early in the third, but USC manufactured a steady push and would lead it by 20 entering the fourth. By the final buzzer, USC's second win of the season was in the books, with the Trojans having gone 45 percent from the floor to outpace the Eagles' 32.1 percent. FCGU won the battle of the boards 39-34, but the Trojans dished out 18 assists and nabbed 10 steals to keep USC's momentum going.
USC received 18-point outings from both Rayah Marshall and JuJu Watkins, who has now generated 50 points in her first two games at USC — matching the total that Trojan great Cheryl Miller put up in her opening games as a freshman. FGCU had Maddie Antenucci score a game-high 19 points, and Uju Ezeudu led all on the boards with 11 rebounds.
After falling in a nine-point hole out of the gates, USC manufactured a 12-0 run sparked by back-to-back buckets from Rayah Marshall. Juju Watkins, Kaitlyn Davis and Kayla Padilla also contributed buckets in that surge, and USC would stay out ahead the rest of the first half. Up 14-11 at the close of the first quarter, USC hit the gas again in the second frame thanks in part to an all-around effort from Watkins, who hit a three, served up a block and drew a charge before a back-breaking 3-pointer came care of Taylor Bigby to net a 28-16 USC lead at the 3-minute mark. An interception and finish from Padilla made it 33-16 Trojans in the final minute of the half, although the Eagles would get the last word with a three to make it 33-19 at the break.
The Trojans hit a skid early in the third, and FCGU capitalized with a 12-0 rally to cut it to a five-point game. USC's freshmen combined forces to pick the Trojans back up, with Malia Samuels burying a three and Watkins knocked down a smooth jumper, giving USC a 40-30 advantage entering the 5-minute mark. Watkins dropped two more to make it a 9-0 USC surge to a 44-30 lead before the Eagles broke the run with a successful visit to the stripe. By the end of the third, USC had ballooned back its lead to 20, up 58-38 entering then fourth thanks in part to a foul-stymied Rayah Marshall scoring seven points in the last two minutes of the third frame. Bigby took an errant FGCU pass and turned it into a three-point play to craft USC's largest lead of the game at 61-38 to kick off the fourth. The Eagles would generate some points along the way to the final buzzer, but USC's lead was never threatened, and the Trojans had every available player check in for time on court tonight in the 67-51 final win.
NEXT:
USC has a Monday matchup on tap next against another first-time foe, with Le Moyne coming to Galen Center for a 5:30 p.m. meeting on Monday (Nov. 13).
NOTABLE:
- With two blocks tonight, Rayah Marshall has extended her streak to 53 straight games with at least one block.
- With a team-high 18 points tonight, freshman JuJu Watkins has totalled 50 points in her first two games as a Trojan — also achieved by Trojan great Cheryl Miller as a freshman in 1982
- With an attendance of 4,712 tonight, the USC women recorded their largest attendance at Galen Center since Jan. 17, 2010.
- Tonight's attendance also ranks as the eighth most for a USC women's game at Galen Center. against UCLA and the 8th highest attendance record in Galen Center history with 4,712 attendees.
- Redshirt freshman Aaliyah Gayles and grad transfer Roxane Makolo both made their USC debuts tonight.
- USC is now 42-5 all-time in home openers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and FGCU.
USC recovered from a slow start to the game, heating up to go 48-percent from the floor by halftime and lead it 33-19 at the break. USC's defense forced four shot-clock violations out of FGCU in the first half, and the Eagles were at 29 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes of play. FGCU was ahead on the board, however, leading 20-14, but USC's scoring depth of six different scorers helped keep the Trojans out ahead. FGCU got to within five early in the third, but USC manufactured a steady push and would lead it by 20 entering the fourth. By the final buzzer, USC's second win of the season was in the books, with the Trojans having gone 45 percent from the floor to outpace the Eagles' 32.1 percent. FCGU won the battle of the boards 39-34, but the Trojans dished out 18 assists and nabbed 10 steals to keep USC's momentum going.
USC received 18-point outings from both Rayah Marshall and JuJu Watkins, who has now generated 50 points in her first two games at USC — matching the total that Trojan great Cheryl Miller put up in her opening games as a freshman. FGCU had Maddie Antenucci score a game-high 19 points, and Uju Ezeudu led all on the boards with 11 rebounds.
After falling in a nine-point hole out of the gates, USC manufactured a 12-0 run sparked by back-to-back buckets from Rayah Marshall. Juju Watkins, Kaitlyn Davis and Kayla Padilla also contributed buckets in that surge, and USC would stay out ahead the rest of the first half. Up 14-11 at the close of the first quarter, USC hit the gas again in the second frame thanks in part to an all-around effort from Watkins, who hit a three, served up a block and drew a charge before a back-breaking 3-pointer came care of Taylor Bigby to net a 28-16 USC lead at the 3-minute mark. An interception and finish from Padilla made it 33-16 Trojans in the final minute of the half, although the Eagles would get the last word with a three to make it 33-19 at the break.
The Trojans hit a skid early in the third, and FCGU capitalized with a 12-0 rally to cut it to a five-point game. USC's freshmen combined forces to pick the Trojans back up, with Malia Samuels burying a three and Watkins knocked down a smooth jumper, giving USC a 40-30 advantage entering the 5-minute mark. Watkins dropped two more to make it a 9-0 USC surge to a 44-30 lead before the Eagles broke the run with a successful visit to the stripe. By the end of the third, USC had ballooned back its lead to 20, up 58-38 entering then fourth thanks in part to a foul-stymied Rayah Marshall scoring seven points in the last two minutes of the third frame. Bigby took an errant FGCU pass and turned it into a three-point play to craft USC's largest lead of the game at 61-38 to kick off the fourth. The Eagles would generate some points along the way to the final buzzer, but USC's lead was never threatened, and the Trojans had every available player check in for time on court tonight in the 67-51 final win.
NEXT:
USC has a Monday matchup on tap next against another first-time foe, with Le Moyne coming to Galen Center for a 5:30 p.m. meeting on Monday (Nov. 13).
NOTABLE:
- With two blocks tonight, Rayah Marshall has extended her streak to 53 straight games with at least one block.
- With a team-high 18 points tonight, freshman JuJu Watkins has totalled 50 points in her first two games as a Trojan — also achieved by Trojan great Cheryl Miller as a freshman in 1982
- With an attendance of 4,712 tonight, the USC women recorded their largest attendance at Galen Center since Jan. 17, 2010.
- Tonight's attendance also ranks as the eighth most for a USC women's game at Galen Center. against UCLA and the 8th highest attendance record in Galen Center history with 4,712 attendees.
- Redshirt freshman Aaliyah Gayles and grad transfer Roxane Makolo both made their USC debuts tonight.
- USC is now 42-5 all-time in home openers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and FGCU.
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
