USC women's basketball traveled to the state of South Carolina to face the No. 1-ranked Gamecocks. The game was not held on the University of South Carolina campus in Columbia. This game was in Greenville. It was not a true road game but, for all intents and purposes, it was. This marked a huge challenge for USC - not just because this was a road game, but because South Carolina is a gold-standard program. The Gamecocks have lost each of the last two national championship games and have played in the last three national title games, winning once in 2024. South Carolina is expected to be at the 2027 Women's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, in April. The Trojans fully intend to be there with the Gamecocks.
Sunday's game felt like a Final Four preview.
The Trojans didn't win, but they showed they could go toe to toe with the No. 1 team in America. South Carolina outlasted USC 89-85. The Trojans trailed 84-72 midway through the fourth quarter but used a 13-3 run to pull within two, at 87-85, in the final 20 seconds. JuJu Watkins attempted a tying shot on a fast break, but the shot was blocked. South Carolina challenged the ruling that the ball went off the South Carolina defender's hands. The Gamecocks benefited from a "ball off the fingertips" call we have seen in college basketball over the past several years. Tessa Johnson of South Carolina made two free throws with under 15 seconds left, and that was it.
USC was the second-best team in this game, but not by much. The Trojans are young, and they have to deal with the reality that JuJu Watkins has been away from live basketball for one and a half years. This game was JuJu's biggest and most emotional game since the 2025 Big Ten Tournament final against UCLA. Watkins was the focus of South Carolina's defensive game plan. JuJu scored 25 points, but South Carolina made her work for those points. JuJu hit 8 of 20 field goals. She led USC's late rally but did not have a smooth ride earlier in the game.
With JuJu not being supremely efficient from the field, USC needed other players to step up on offense. Kennedy Smith answered the call, hitting 6 of 10 shots, 3 of 6 from 3-point range. However, Jazzy Davidson was just 3 of 14 from the field. Saniyah Hall finished 5 of 14 from the field and committed seven turnovers. South Carolina made the game a little harder for USC than the Trojans made this game for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina finished 55 percent from the field. USC attempted 13 more shots, 69 to 56, and posted a 17-8 advantage on the offensive glass, but the Gamecocks were better at getting to the rim and finishing plays. USC's youthfulness showed up at times on offense, especially Saniyah Hall's turnovers, but for the most part, this team's inexperience is showing up more at the defensive end of the floor. South Carolina is an excellent team, but that point aside, the USC coaching staff knows that giving up 89 points can never be part of a recipe for success.
The big picture is this: South Carolina might be the best team USC faces all season. The Trojans went into South Carolina and lost by only four in a game which felt like a big-league battle the whole way. If USC can improve on defense and ball security and establish chemistry over the course of the season, this team has a great chance to create a reunion with South Carolina in April.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women's hoops puts up a fight but falls short vs South Carolina
