No. 17 USC Women's Basketball Falls to Crosstown Rival No. 4 UCLA, 80-46

Saturday, January 3

Los Angeles, Calif.

5:00 p.m.

USC

10-4,2-1Big Ten

UCLA

14-1,4-0Big Ten

Southern California

UCLA

Photo by: Katie Chin/USC Athletics

No. 17 USC Women's Basketball Falls to Crosstown Rival No. 4 UCLA, 80-46

January 03, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

LOS ANGELES – No. 17 USC women's basketball came up short against crosstown rival No. 4 UCLA on Saturday evening, falling 80-46 to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion.

The Trojans came out sharp from the perimeter in the opening 10 minutes as senior Kara Dunn opened the scoring with a three-pointer off a pass from freshman Jazzy Davidson. USC knocked down four of its first five attempts from deep to post its best three-point shooting quarter of the season (80 percent). Londynn Jones and Davidson each connected from beyond the arc as USC traded punches early, and Kennedy Smith converted a jumper off a UCLA turnover to briefly give the Trojans the edge. The quarter ended deadlocked at 16–16 after six ties and five lead changes, underscoring the evenly played start.

Freshman Davidson opened the second period with a pull-up jumper to give USC an 18–16 lead, but UCLA responded with a 27-point frame behind efficient shooting and control of the paint. While the Trojans led the Bruins in made three's (6–4) and points off turnovers (7–4) in the first half, UCLA used a 14–0 run late in the quarter to build separation and carried a 43–28 advantage into halftime. Davidson paced USC with a team-high eight points in the first half, knocking down two shots from behind the arc.

Dunn scored the Trojans' first points of the third quarter on a layup assisted by Jones and later hit USC's lone three-pointer of the period, but the Bruins steadily extended the margin behind interior scoring and second-chance opportunities. UCLA outscored USC 22–12 in the third to push the lead to 65–40 entering the final frame.

USC struggled in the fourth quarter to knock down shots, scoring just six points in the final frame. Malia Samuels accounted for the Trojans first basket of the period with a layup, but UCLA's depth and defensive pressure sealed the result as the lead grew to as many as 35.

Dunn finished with a team-high 11 points and three made three-pointers for USC. Davidson recorded 10 points and a team-best three blocks, marking her 14th straight game with at least one block and her 11th consecutive double-figure scoring performance. Smith added seven points, a team-high five rebounds and four assists, while Samuels went a perfect 3-for-3 from the field to score seven points. Brooklyn Shamblin scored her first points of the season with a three-pointer off the bench.

Defensively, the Trojans forced 17 UCLA turnovers, the second-most by the Bruins this season, while also holding UCLA to four made three-pointers (matching the Bruins season low).

The Trojans will regroup and return to the Galen Center on Tuesday, Jan. 6 for a 7 p.m. game against Oregon.

MAIN TAKEAWAYS –

Tonight's game marked FR Jazzy Davidson's 14th straight game with 1+ blocks and her 11th straight game scoring in double figures.
Davidson also contributed 10 points and a team-high three blocks
SR Kara Dunn scored a team-high 11 points and three made three-pointers
SO Kennedy Smith recorded seven points and tallied a team-high five rebounds and four assists. This game marks the second consecutive game the guard has led the Trojans in rebounds and the fourth time this season
SO Brooklyn Shamblin scored her first points of the season with a made three in the fourth quarter
JR Malia Samuels was perfect from the field, scoring six points (3-for-3 FG) and knocking down one free throw
USC forced 17 turnovers against UCLA, the second-most turnovers for the Bruins in single game this season
The Bruins four made three-pointers matched their fewest this season