USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Drop Close Game to Rival Bruins

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The USC Trojans fought hard all night but could not come away with a win against the UCLA Bruins.
The opening quarter saw the Trojans playing catch up, as the Bruins went on a 12-2 run. However, Juju Watkins came storming out of the gate and helped to close the gap. The Women of Troy went on a staggering 9-0 run to end the quarter.
End Q1: USC 11, UCLA 14
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) December 31, 2023
Ended the quarter on a 9-0 run 😤 pic.twitter.com/yAXjhdrV4o
Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game, the second quarter saw the Trojans slowly start to slip away. Watkins did her best by dropping 18 points, but it was not enough for the Trojans to capture the lead. The
Back and forth first half in Westwood! pic.twitter.com/b3qKND9T3D
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) December 31, 2023
The team would go into the half trailing by just one point. Coming out into the third quarter, the Trojans began to ramp up their buckets, nearly catching the Bruins.
Kenzie triple has us back within 6!
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) December 31, 2023
📺 @Pac12Network
📲 https://t.co/1sSOhdHAHc pic.twitter.com/W7NyBEqR40
Still, it was difficult to catch up to the attack from Lauren Betts, Londynn Jones, and Kiki Rice. The third ended with the Trojans trailing by 7 points
End Q3: USC 51, UCLA 58
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) December 31, 2023
4th quarter coming up. pic.twitter.com/O8VMWRiOTL
The fourth opened to more high scoring from Watkins and company, as they would come close to tying the Bruins.
📂 Things you love to see
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) December 31, 2023
└📁 JuJu transition three
📺 @Pac12Network
📲 https://t.co/1sSOhdHAHc pic.twitter.com/xqersZOkXV
The deep transition game of Watkins showed once again, as she rocketed down the court to sink a 3, keeping the score within 1 point.
Watkins could not keep up though, as the Trojans eventually fell to the Bruins 71-64. The Trojans will have a small break before they take on Oregon State on January 5.
The Trojans can easily bounce back, and they know what they will be dealing with when they face off against UCLA again on January 14.

James Brizuela has been a professional writer since 2019. After covering entertainment and the NFL for Sportskeeda, he now works as an Assignment Desk Editor for the LA Sports Report Network which has partnered with the Sports Illustrated FanNation Network, focusing on his expertise in LA sports at the college and professional level.
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