Monday, November 20
Nassau, bs
6:00 PM
USC
vs
Seton Hall
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Drake Lee
No. 10 USC Women's Basketball Faces Seton Hall, Penn State In Bahamas
November 17, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Trojans are off to Nassau for two tests at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
BAHA MAR PINK FLAMINGO CHAMPIONSHIP (Nassau, Bahamas)
#10 USC (3-0) vs. Seton Hall (2-1)
Monday, Nov. 20 | 9 p.m. ETÂ
Series Record (since 1997-98): USC lead 3-0
Last Meeting: W 79-65 [11/25/21 • Cancun, Mexico]
STREAM | STATS
#10 USC vs. Penn State
Wednesday, Nov. 22 | 9 p.m. ETÂ
Series Record (since 1979-80): USC leads 3-1 (W3)
Last Meeting: W 79-66 [12/29/83 • Los Angeles]Â
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
With a 3-0 mark and a top-10 ranking to its name, No. 10 USC shoves off for the Bahamas to set up for action at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau next week. The Trojans will face Seton Hall at 9 p.m. ET on Monday (Nov. 20) and take on Penn State at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Nov. 22).Â
FOLLOW ALONGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC's games at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Classic will be streamed live via FloHoops.
IN THE POLLSÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC's No. 21 preseason national ranking marked the fourth time the Trojans have appeared in preseason AP and USA Today polls since 2005. It's the highest preseason ranking for USC in that span, following No. 23 in 2011, No. 22 and 2006 and No. 24 (AP) and No. 22 (USA Today) in 2005. As of the most recent polls (Nov. 14), USC has risen to No. 10 in both polls. It's the Trojans' highest AP ranking since ending the 1994 season ranked No. 7 in the land.
LAST ACTIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Enjoying its highest AP national ranking since 1994, No. 10 USC went big in Galen Center with a 93-42 win over visiting Le Moyne behind a 35-point effort from freshman JuJu Watkins on Monday (Nov. 13). The Trojans improved to 3-0 overall with the home win, which also was highlighted by 10 Trojans scoring in a 56.9-percent effort from the floor and 12 made 3-pointers from USC.  USC was shooting at a 54.5-percent clip through the first half of action while holding Le Moyne to just 25 percent from the floor, with Trojans JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall both in double figured by halftime with 17 and 10 points, respectively. USC also was up on the boards 19-14 by the break. USC pressed on and wound up winning the boards 41-27 while finishing out the game shooting a season-high 56.9 percent from the floor to double up on Le Moyne's 28-percent effort. USC also made a season-high 12 threes, with Watkins accounting for six of those in her 35-point effort tonight. Watkins also hauled in nine rebounds and had six steals for the Trojans while recording the second most points in a game by a USC freshman. Rayah Marshall was next with 12 points for USC, and Taylor Bigby delivered 10. Le Moyne was led by 14 points from Latoya Baker.
NOTABLE:
- With 35 points, FR JuJu Watkins has scored more points (75) in her first three games as a Trojan than Cheryl Miller (67) and Lisa Leslie (64) did in their first three games at USC.
- Watkins' 35-point outing is the second highest single-game scoring effort by a USC freshman (Cheryl Miller scored 39 vs. Northwestern on Nov. 30, 1982).
- Watkins' six 3-pointers made ties for the second most in a game by a Trojan
- With 12 points, JR Rayah Marshall joins Watkins in having scored in double digits in all three games for USC this season.
- With 10 points, RS SO Taylor Bigby recorded her first double-digit game of the season and the fourth of her career.Â
- USC made a season-high 12 3-pointers, tying for the fifth most threes made in a game in program history
- RS SO Dominique Onu logged her first minutes and scored her first points (9) as a Trojan.
- GS Roxane Makolo scored her first points (2) as a Trojan.
- USC's 51-point win was its largest margin of victory since a 98-47 win over Montana State on Nov. 10, 2017.
- USC has now recorded 12 straight home nonconference wins.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and Le Moyne.
GREAT SHOW AT GALEN OPENERÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC drew its largest Galen Center crowd since 2010 in the Trojans' home opener on Friday (Nov. 10), 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 the game. USC recovered from a slow start to the game, falling behind 9-0 and then 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.
NOTABLE:
- With two blocks, Rayah Marshall extended her streak to 53 straight games with at least one block.
- With a team-high 18 points, 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 eighth 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.
- USC is now 42-5 all-time in home openers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and FGCU.
TOP-10 TAKEDOWNÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC notched its first season-opening win over a ranked opponent since 1990 with an upset victory over No. 7 Ohio State at the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That 1990 upset win came over a No. 7 Texas team, with Trojan great Lisa Leslie delivering 30 points in her freshman debut at USC. Fitting, then, that today's statement win by the Women of Troy featured a 32-point effort from true freshman JuJu Watkins. Leslie and Watkins both were named Gatorade National Players of the Year as seniors in high school before signing on to USC. Up 46-28 at halftime, USC was shooting 51.4 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, with JuJu Watkins holding 16 points and Rayah Marshall already at a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds by the break. Ohio State, which made just two field foals in the second quarter while winding up at 29.6 percent shooting the first half. The Buckeyes would bounce back, however, benefitting from a swaying foul count and almost matching USC's second-quarter effort in outscoring USC 30-10 in the third. A stalwart effort from the Trojans would pull them back ahead in the fourth, fending off the No. 7 Buckeyes to win the day in Vegas. USC finished out the game shooting 51 percent overall to outpace Ohio State's 40-percent effort. USC also outrebounded the Buckeyes 43-28. Led by freshman Watkins' game-high 32 points, USC also saw Marshall net her 21st career double-double with a final 18 points and 17 rebounds. Marshall also extended her impressive blocks streak to 52 straight games with two more tallied today, and added a career-high six steals. Also hitting double digits for the Trojans was McKenzie Forbes with 11 while Kaitlyn Davis added nine rebounds for USC and Watkins dished out five assists. Ohio State was paced by Jacy Sheldon's 28 points along with 16 from Taylor Thierry. Â
NOTABLE:
-- USC's win over No. 7 Ohio State was its first season-opening victory over a ranked opponent since 1990, when a No. 25 USC team upset No. 7 Texas 88-77 (11/25/90).
- With 32 points, FR JuJu Watkins beat Lisa Leslie's 30-point effort in her first game as a USC freshman — recorded in that aforementioned 1990 season opener.
- Watkins' 32 points scored marked the most by a USC (or any Pac-12) freshman in any game since Alissa Pili (32 points) in 2020.
- Only two other USC freshmen have scored more than 32 points in a game — Cheryl Miller (39 points vs. Northwestern, 11/30/82) and Lisa Leslie (33 points at Cal, 1/17/91).
- JR Rayah Marshall recorded her 21st career double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds today.
- With two blocks, Marshall has extended her streak to 52 straight games with at least one block.
- Marshall also recorded a career-high six steals.
- Five players scored their first points as Trojans today — FR Watkins (32 points), GS McKenzie Forbes (11), GS Kayla Padilla (8), GS Kaitlyn Davis (4) and FR Malia Samuels (2).
- USC is now 4-4 all-time against Ohio State.
- USC's last win over a top-10 opponent was a 55-46 victory over No. 2 Stanford last season (1/13/23).
TOP TALENTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
For just the second time in program history, USC women's basketball welcomes the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year to Troy, with the addition of heralded incoming freshman JuJu Watkins. Watkins follows in the footsteps of another Los Angeles native, Lisa Leslie, a Trojan great who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 1990 on her way into USC. Watkins picked up All-Pac-12 Preseason Honorable Mention, and was recently named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Watch List.
BLOCK LOCKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Defense was one of USC's strengths last season with the help of Rayah Marshall, who earned 2023 All-Pac12 Team honors as she led the conference in total rebounds with 322 and was second in the nation with 98 blocks as a sophomore. Now a junior and coming off a summer preparing for and playing for the USA in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, Marshall's shot blocking and rebounding ability coupled with her newfound leadership has made her an essential role player for the Women of Troy as she enters her junior season tasked with time in the paint as a center. After tacking up her 21st career double-double in USC's season opener, Marshall also added to her impressive blocks streak, now with 53 straight game recording at least one block for the Trojans.
VETERAN STATUSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
In addition to Marshall, USC welcomes back a strong group of returners from last season's success. Now a senior, guard Kayla Williams picked up 2023 Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention, having started all 31 games as a reliable backcourt defender for the team. Also back for more in 2023-24 is redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby, who brings length and sharpshooting to the perimeter, where fifth-year guard India Otto also is a proven threat. Now with two years under her belt at USC, 6-6 center Clarice Akunwafo is back to help man the paint as a junior.
DEPTH CHARGEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Freshman Malia Samuels comes into the season having been named Washington's 2022 3A Player of the Year, adding point guard savvy and defensive talents to the squad. USC's guard depth is intensified as redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Onu steps on the court this season for her first action as a Trojan following her midseason transfer from UCLA. And after redshirting her first season, guard Aaliyah Gayles is lined up for her Trojan debut as well.
GRAD GREATSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
With a proven eye for talent, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has added four graduate transfers to the 2023-24 Trojan roster. Three — Kaitlyn Davis, McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla — were standouts in the Ivy League, and one — Roxane Makolo — boasts international experience with Team Canada. A proven point guard in her time at Penn, Padilla joins the Trojans as a three-time All-Ivy First Team selection. Her speed and basketball IQ will be an asset to the team for the upcoming season. Marshall and Akunwafo will be supported in the paint with Columbia forward Davis, whose strength and agility make her extremely difficult to defend. With depth comes versatility as Forbes returns to her home state after three strong years at Harvard, where she earned 2022 All-Ivy Second Team honors. She also was recently selected to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLEÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC grad students Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika were picked back-to-back in the 2023 WNBA Draft Third Round as the 29th and 30th overall players chosen, respectively. A 6-2 forward from Paris, France, Sissoko was the Trojans' top scorer season and was selected by the Phoenix Mercury. A full-time starter from Holster, Denmark, Adika — a 6-0 guard — was a defensive lock who came up big for the Trojans and has been picked by the New York Liberty. It was the first time since 2012 and just the third time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. They followed 2012 picks for Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath, and 1997 draftees Pam McGee and Tina Thompson. Adika was waived for the 2023 season, while Sissoko played the full season with the Mercury. Sissoko is currently playing in France with Flammes Carolo Basket Ardennes
LAST SEASONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
During the 2022-23 season, the USC women went 11-7 in conference play and finished 21-10 overall. Succeeding in arguably one of the most competitive conferences, the Women of Troy were able to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, when USC won the Pac-12 Tournament title. USC's 2023 NCAA appearance marked its first at-large bid into the tourney since 2006. The Trojan defense set a program record last season in holding opponents to just 35.4 percent shooting from the floor.Â
SIGNED!     Â
Five standouts from five different states have signed on to join head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's Women of Troy for 2024, including the top player out of California for the second straight year. In all the class of five is expected to be ranked as a top-five class in the nation. Three members of USC's incoming class — Kennedy Smith, Kayley Heckel and Avery Howell — have been named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Girl's High School Player of the Year Watch List.
KENNEDY SMITH | 6-1 G | Etiwanda, Calif. (Etiwanda HS)
Kennedy Smith stands as the No. 6 recruit in the nation as she turns to a career as a Trojan. An all-state first-teamer as a junior, Smith was also selected to the 2023 Los Angeles Times All-Star Team and was a Nike EYBL Champion with CalSparks. She has helped Etiwanda to a 2023 Open Division State Championship and the 2022 Southern Section title and also was named the 2023 Press Enterprise Inland Empire Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
KAYLEIGH HECKEL | 5-9 PG | Port Chester, N.Y. (Long Island Lutheran HS)
Already having pinned up 2,000 points in her prep career, Kayleigh Heckel helped lead her high school squad to a national runner-up finish in her junior season and was named the MaxPreps New York Player of the Year. Ranked No. 27 in the nation overall, she also is a 2022 Nike TOC Champion and plays AAU ball with Exodus NYC.
RIAN FORESTIER | 5-11 G | San Antonio, Texas (Brandeis HS)
Ranked as the top guard in Texas, Rian Forestier is a noted 3-point threat and a regular on all-state, all-region and all-district honor rolls. District MVP as a junior, she was the All-Area and All-District Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Brandeis High in San Antonio. Also committed to community service, Forestier founded a non-profit called 4WARD, which donates new basketball shoes to middle school girls in the San Antonio region.Â
AVERY HOWELL | 6-0 G | Boise, Idaho (Boise HS)
The 2023 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, Avery Howell stands ranked No. 23 in the nation and was a participant in the Wooten Top 150. Also an invitee to the Canadian National Team's training camp in 2023, Howell is a highly touted guard who set single-season records in points and rebounds in her junior season at Boise High, which finished third at the 2023 state championships. She participate in the Adidas 3SSB Eurocamp and was one of the top scorers and rebounders on the Adidas Circuit in the summer.
LAURA WILLIAMS | 6-1 F | Fairfax, Va. (St. Paul VI Catholic HS)
The top-ranked player in Virginia, Laura Williams has helped St. Paul VI continue its run of state titles. A top-100 player in the ESPN's 2024 class, Williams averaged 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game with Fairfax Stars AAU and the 2023 summer Nike EYBL circuit soon after earning First Team All-State honors.Â
Â
#10 USC (3-0) vs. Seton Hall (2-1)
Monday, Nov. 20 | 9 p.m. ETÂ
Series Record (since 1997-98): USC lead 3-0
Last Meeting: W 79-65 [11/25/21 • Cancun, Mexico]
STREAM | STATS
#10 USC vs. Penn State
Wednesday, Nov. 22 | 9 p.m. ETÂ
Series Record (since 1979-80): USC leads 3-1 (W3)
Last Meeting: W 79-66 [12/29/83 • Los Angeles]Â
STREAM | STATS
THIS WEEKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
With a 3-0 mark and a top-10 ranking to its name, No. 10 USC shoves off for the Bahamas to set up for action at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship in Nassau next week. The Trojans will face Seton Hall at 9 p.m. ET on Monday (Nov. 20) and take on Penn State at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Nov. 22).Â
FOLLOW ALONGÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC's games at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Classic will be streamed live via FloHoops.
IN THE POLLSÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC's No. 21 preseason national ranking marked the fourth time the Trojans have appeared in preseason AP and USA Today polls since 2005. It's the highest preseason ranking for USC in that span, following No. 23 in 2011, No. 22 and 2006 and No. 24 (AP) and No. 22 (USA Today) in 2005. As of the most recent polls (Nov. 14), USC has risen to No. 10 in both polls. It's the Trojans' highest AP ranking since ending the 1994 season ranked No. 7 in the land.
LAST ACTIONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Enjoying its highest AP national ranking since 1994, No. 10 USC went big in Galen Center with a 93-42 win over visiting Le Moyne behind a 35-point effort from freshman JuJu Watkins on Monday (Nov. 13). The Trojans improved to 3-0 overall with the home win, which also was highlighted by 10 Trojans scoring in a 56.9-percent effort from the floor and 12 made 3-pointers from USC.  USC was shooting at a 54.5-percent clip through the first half of action while holding Le Moyne to just 25 percent from the floor, with Trojans JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall both in double figured by halftime with 17 and 10 points, respectively. USC also was up on the boards 19-14 by the break. USC pressed on and wound up winning the boards 41-27 while finishing out the game shooting a season-high 56.9 percent from the floor to double up on Le Moyne's 28-percent effort. USC also made a season-high 12 threes, with Watkins accounting for six of those in her 35-point effort tonight. Watkins also hauled in nine rebounds and had six steals for the Trojans while recording the second most points in a game by a USC freshman. Rayah Marshall was next with 12 points for USC, and Taylor Bigby delivered 10. Le Moyne was led by 14 points from Latoya Baker.
NOTABLE:
- With 35 points, FR JuJu Watkins has scored more points (75) in her first three games as a Trojan than Cheryl Miller (67) and Lisa Leslie (64) did in their first three games at USC.
- Watkins' 35-point outing is the second highest single-game scoring effort by a USC freshman (Cheryl Miller scored 39 vs. Northwestern on Nov. 30, 1982).
- Watkins' six 3-pointers made ties for the second most in a game by a Trojan
- With 12 points, JR Rayah Marshall joins Watkins in having scored in double digits in all three games for USC this season.
- With 10 points, RS SO Taylor Bigby recorded her first double-digit game of the season and the fourth of her career.Â
- USC made a season-high 12 3-pointers, tying for the fifth most threes made in a game in program history
- RS SO Dominique Onu logged her first minutes and scored her first points (9) as a Trojan.
- GS Roxane Makolo scored her first points (2) as a Trojan.
- USC's 51-point win was its largest margin of victory since a 98-47 win over Montana State on Nov. 10, 2017.
- USC has now recorded 12 straight home nonconference wins.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and Le Moyne.
GREAT SHOW AT GALEN OPENERÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC drew its largest Galen Center crowd since 2010 in the Trojans' home opener on Friday (Nov. 10), 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 the game. USC recovered from a slow start to the game, falling behind 9-0 and then 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.
NOTABLE:
- With two blocks, Rayah Marshall extended her streak to 53 straight games with at least one block.
- With a team-high 18 points, 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 eighth 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.
- USC is now 42-5 all-time in home openers.
- This was the first-ever meeting between USC and FGCU.
TOP-10 TAKEDOWNÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC notched its first season-opening win over a ranked opponent since 1990 with an upset victory over No. 7 Ohio State at the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That 1990 upset win came over a No. 7 Texas team, with Trojan great Lisa Leslie delivering 30 points in her freshman debut at USC. Fitting, then, that today's statement win by the Women of Troy featured a 32-point effort from true freshman JuJu Watkins. Leslie and Watkins both were named Gatorade National Players of the Year as seniors in high school before signing on to USC. Up 46-28 at halftime, USC was shooting 51.4 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, with JuJu Watkins holding 16 points and Rayah Marshall already at a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds by the break. Ohio State, which made just two field foals in the second quarter while winding up at 29.6 percent shooting the first half. The Buckeyes would bounce back, however, benefitting from a swaying foul count and almost matching USC's second-quarter effort in outscoring USC 30-10 in the third. A stalwart effort from the Trojans would pull them back ahead in the fourth, fending off the No. 7 Buckeyes to win the day in Vegas. USC finished out the game shooting 51 percent overall to outpace Ohio State's 40-percent effort. USC also outrebounded the Buckeyes 43-28. Led by freshman Watkins' game-high 32 points, USC also saw Marshall net her 21st career double-double with a final 18 points and 17 rebounds. Marshall also extended her impressive blocks streak to 52 straight games with two more tallied today, and added a career-high six steals. Also hitting double digits for the Trojans was McKenzie Forbes with 11 while Kaitlyn Davis added nine rebounds for USC and Watkins dished out five assists. Ohio State was paced by Jacy Sheldon's 28 points along with 16 from Taylor Thierry. Â
NOTABLE:
-- USC's win over No. 7 Ohio State was its first season-opening victory over a ranked opponent since 1990, when a No. 25 USC team upset No. 7 Texas 88-77 (11/25/90).
- With 32 points, FR JuJu Watkins beat Lisa Leslie's 30-point effort in her first game as a USC freshman — recorded in that aforementioned 1990 season opener.
- Watkins' 32 points scored marked the most by a USC (or any Pac-12) freshman in any game since Alissa Pili (32 points) in 2020.
- Only two other USC freshmen have scored more than 32 points in a game — Cheryl Miller (39 points vs. Northwestern, 11/30/82) and Lisa Leslie (33 points at Cal, 1/17/91).
- JR Rayah Marshall recorded her 21st career double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds today.
- With two blocks, Marshall has extended her streak to 52 straight games with at least one block.
- Marshall also recorded a career-high six steals.
- Five players scored their first points as Trojans today — FR Watkins (32 points), GS McKenzie Forbes (11), GS Kayla Padilla (8), GS Kaitlyn Davis (4) and FR Malia Samuels (2).
- USC is now 4-4 all-time against Ohio State.
- USC's last win over a top-10 opponent was a 55-46 victory over No. 2 Stanford last season (1/13/23).
TOP TALENTÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
For just the second time in program history, USC women's basketball welcomes the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year to Troy, with the addition of heralded incoming freshman JuJu Watkins. Watkins follows in the footsteps of another Los Angeles native, Lisa Leslie, a Trojan great who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in 1990 on her way into USC. Watkins picked up All-Pac-12 Preseason Honorable Mention, and was recently named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Watch List.
BLOCK LOCKÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Defense was one of USC's strengths last season with the help of Rayah Marshall, who earned 2023 All-Pac12 Team honors as she led the conference in total rebounds with 322 and was second in the nation with 98 blocks as a sophomore. Now a junior and coming off a summer preparing for and playing for the USA in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, Marshall's shot blocking and rebounding ability coupled with her newfound leadership has made her an essential role player for the Women of Troy as she enters her junior season tasked with time in the paint as a center. After tacking up her 21st career double-double in USC's season opener, Marshall also added to her impressive blocks streak, now with 53 straight game recording at least one block for the Trojans.
VETERAN STATUSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
In addition to Marshall, USC welcomes back a strong group of returners from last season's success. Now a senior, guard Kayla Williams picked up 2023 Pac-12 All-Defensive Honorable Mention, having started all 31 games as a reliable backcourt defender for the team. Also back for more in 2023-24 is redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby, who brings length and sharpshooting to the perimeter, where fifth-year guard India Otto also is a proven threat. Now with two years under her belt at USC, 6-6 center Clarice Akunwafo is back to help man the paint as a junior.
DEPTH CHARGEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Freshman Malia Samuels comes into the season having been named Washington's 2022 3A Player of the Year, adding point guard savvy and defensive talents to the squad. USC's guard depth is intensified as redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Onu steps on the court this season for her first action as a Trojan following her midseason transfer from UCLA. And after redshirting her first season, guard Aaliyah Gayles is lined up for her Trojan debut as well.
GRAD GREATSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
With a proven eye for talent, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb has added four graduate transfers to the 2023-24 Trojan roster. Three — Kaitlyn Davis, McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla — were standouts in the Ivy League, and one — Roxane Makolo — boasts international experience with Team Canada. A proven point guard in her time at Penn, Padilla joins the Trojans as a three-time All-Ivy First Team selection. Her speed and basketball IQ will be an asset to the team for the upcoming season. Marshall and Akunwafo will be supported in the paint with Columbia forward Davis, whose strength and agility make her extremely difficult to defend. With depth comes versatility as Forbes returns to her home state after three strong years at Harvard, where she earned 2022 All-Ivy Second Team honors. She also was recently selected to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLEÂ Â Â Â Â Â
USC grad students Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika were picked back-to-back in the 2023 WNBA Draft Third Round as the 29th and 30th overall players chosen, respectively. A 6-2 forward from Paris, France, Sissoko was the Trojans' top scorer season and was selected by the Phoenix Mercury. A full-time starter from Holster, Denmark, Adika — a 6-0 guard — was a defensive lock who came up big for the Trojans and has been picked by the New York Liberty. It was the first time since 2012 and just the third time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. They followed 2012 picks for Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath, and 1997 draftees Pam McGee and Tina Thompson. Adika was waived for the 2023 season, while Sissoko played the full season with the Mercury. Sissoko is currently playing in France with Flammes Carolo Basket Ardennes
LAST SEASONÂ Â Â Â Â Â
During the 2022-23 season, the USC women went 11-7 in conference play and finished 21-10 overall. Succeeding in arguably one of the most competitive conferences, the Women of Troy were able to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, when USC won the Pac-12 Tournament title. USC's 2023 NCAA appearance marked its first at-large bid into the tourney since 2006. The Trojan defense set a program record last season in holding opponents to just 35.4 percent shooting from the floor.Â
SIGNED!     Â
Five standouts from five different states have signed on to join head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's Women of Troy for 2024, including the top player out of California for the second straight year. In all the class of five is expected to be ranked as a top-five class in the nation. Three members of USC's incoming class — Kennedy Smith, Kayley Heckel and Avery Howell — have been named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Girl's High School Player of the Year Watch List.
KENNEDY SMITH | 6-1 G | Etiwanda, Calif. (Etiwanda HS)
Kennedy Smith stands as the No. 6 recruit in the nation as she turns to a career as a Trojan. An all-state first-teamer as a junior, Smith was also selected to the 2023 Los Angeles Times All-Star Team and was a Nike EYBL Champion with CalSparks. She has helped Etiwanda to a 2023 Open Division State Championship and the 2022 Southern Section title and also was named the 2023 Press Enterprise Inland Empire Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
KAYLEIGH HECKEL | 5-9 PG | Port Chester, N.Y. (Long Island Lutheran HS)
Already having pinned up 2,000 points in her prep career, Kayleigh Heckel helped lead her high school squad to a national runner-up finish in her junior season and was named the MaxPreps New York Player of the Year. Ranked No. 27 in the nation overall, she also is a 2022 Nike TOC Champion and plays AAU ball with Exodus NYC.
RIAN FORESTIER | 5-11 G | San Antonio, Texas (Brandeis HS)
Ranked as the top guard in Texas, Rian Forestier is a noted 3-point threat and a regular on all-state, all-region and all-district honor rolls. District MVP as a junior, she was the All-Area and All-District Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at Brandeis High in San Antonio. Also committed to community service, Forestier founded a non-profit called 4WARD, which donates new basketball shoes to middle school girls in the San Antonio region.Â
AVERY HOWELL | 6-0 G | Boise, Idaho (Boise HS)
The 2023 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, Avery Howell stands ranked No. 23 in the nation and was a participant in the Wooten Top 150. Also an invitee to the Canadian National Team's training camp in 2023, Howell is a highly touted guard who set single-season records in points and rebounds in her junior season at Boise High, which finished third at the 2023 state championships. She participate in the Adidas 3SSB Eurocamp and was one of the top scorers and rebounders on the Adidas Circuit in the summer.
LAURA WILLIAMS | 6-1 F | Fairfax, Va. (St. Paul VI Catholic HS)
The top-ranked player in Virginia, Laura Williams has helped St. Paul VI continue its run of state titles. A top-100 player in the ESPN's 2024 class, Williams averaged 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game with Fairfax Stars AAU and the 2023 summer Nike EYBL circuit soon after earning First Team All-State honors.Â
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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
