USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Reign Supreme, Capture Final Pac-12 Tournament Crown
The USC Lady Trojans of the 2023-2024 season have etched their names in the history books with a remarkable feat: clinching their first Pac-12 tournament title in a decade and, as fate would have it, the final one for the Conference of Champions.
The Lady Trojans seized control early and maintained their dominance throughout the entire 40 minutes of play over the Stanford Cardinal.
While much anticipation surrounded superstar freshman guard JuJu Watkins, who has proven herself to be a dynamic scorer, she faced a formidable challenge from the Cardinal defense. She struggled to make her mark on the game.
Fortunately, fifth-year senior guard McKenzie Forbes rose to the occasion and shouldered the scoring load for USC. Forbes delivered a stellar performance, tallying a game-high 26 points on an impressive 11-for-21 shooting from the field, along with five rebounds and two assists.
In contrast, Watkins endured a tough outing, managing just nine points on a 2-for-15 shooting performance, in addition to three rebounds and one assist. Despite her off day, USC received significant contributions from other players, with both center Rayah Marshall (10 points) and guard Kayla Padilla (13 points) stepping up with double-digit scoring.
The Trojans maintained their distance from the Cardinal throughout the game, limiting their opponents to a mere 36.8% shooting from beyond the arc compared to USC's impressive 45% three-point shooting. Moreover, USC dominated the boards, outrebounding Stanford by a commanding margin of 48-28.
Despite Watkins' subdued performance, the team's collective effort propelled USC to victory. As a result of their triumph, USC is poised to secure a top seed in the upcoming NCAA women's tournament. The anticipation now turns to the bracket reveal next Sunday, when the Trojans will await their opponents.
