USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Fall Short Against Colorado
On the heels of a 20-point blowout loss at No. 20 Utah, No. 6 USC dropped its second-consecutive contest to No. 3 Colorado by a score of 63-59 on Sunday afternoon in Boulder.
The fourth quarter proved to be troublesome for the Trojans. Freshman phenom JuJu Watkins fouled out with just over five minutes left and forced USC to find someone to step up. It didn't happen.
Instead, the Trojans found themselves on a scoring drought that lasted just over three minutes. Watkins finished with a game-high 20 points.
The Buffaloes' zone defense proved to be too much for the Trojans' offense which turned the ball over six times in the fourth quarter. They only had six in the first three quarters combined.
Quay Miller and Jaylyn Sherrod caused the most problems for USC. The Trojans struggled to contain Miller who led the Buffs with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Sherrod was too quick, and her playmaking abilities late in the game gave Colorado the lead which eventually led to a win.
Watkins scored the majority of her points in the first quarter. The reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week had 12 points and was 6-for-10 from the field.
Taylor Bigby stepped up in the second with eight points, five of them from the free-throw line and the Trojans trailed by two going into the half.
Mckenzie Forbes gave USC a 38-32 lead in the third quarter with back-to-back three-pointers.
Once Watkins was on the bench, the Trojans struggled to find steady offense. Kayla Padilla knocked down a three to pull USC within one with 14 seconds to play. Sherrod put Colorado up two, Forbes missed a layup, and Vonleh put the game away with a pair of free points.
Up next for USC is Washington State on Friday night at the Galen Center. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
