By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer
TUCSON, Ariz. — USC lost its star player, but not its composure.
Kayla Padilla hit a tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, made another key 3-pointer in the second overtime and the seventh-ranked USC women’s basketball team rallied after freshman JuJu Watkins fouled out to beat Arizona, 95-93, on Thursday night.
“It’s a character win and it’s defining because we’re trying to become an elite team nationally, and we know that’s about more than one or two players,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
USC (22-5 overall, 12-5 Pac-12) blew out the Wildcats (16-13, 8-9) less than a month ago, but Arizona used a big run to take a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Trojans fought back despite Watkins fouling out with less than two minutes left, scoring five points in the final 16 seconds to force overtime. Kaitlyn Davis hit a jumper after an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and Padilla hit a tying 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds left after two more offensive boards.
“She’s selfless in an unbelievable way, but doesn’t lack confidence,” Gottlieb said. “She plays her role, doesn’t hunt shots, but hits the big ones when we need them.”
Neither team could take control until Padilla hit a corner 3-pointer to put USC up 92-89 in the second overtime. Helena Pueyo made two free throws with 6.3 seconds left to pull the Wildcats within 94-93 and Rayah Marshall made one of two free throws.
Arizona’s Jada Williams had a good look at the buzzer, but her 3-point attempt clanged off the back of the rim.
Marshall led USC with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Watkins had 20 before fouling out. Padilla had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
Pueyo had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead undermanned Arizona. Skylar Jones added 19 points.
“I think it was after the first overtime, every single player was eating gummies – they needed sugar and energy they were playing so hard,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes. “They gave everything for me. I’m proud of them.”
USC made 11 3-pointers in the teams’ first meeting, an 81-64 win earlier this month at the Galen Center.
Arizona was a different team early in its final Pac-12 game against USC at McKale Center, buoyed by the home crowd and its first sweep of the Pac-12’s Bay Area schools since 2001 last week.
Feeding off the energy, the Wildcats swarmed USC early, allowed the Trojans to claw back and then took a 33-31 lead into halftime.
“They put so much pressure on you,” Gottlieb said. “They do a great job of that and I thought later in the game we were more aggressive in getting to the paint and making the right reads.”
OFFENSIVE BOARDS
The Trojans have a big front line and used it to their advantage against Arizona, racking up fouls and offensive rebounds.
USC had an 18-9 edge in offensive rebounds and scored 18 second-chance points – none bigger than the five in the final seconds of regulation. Arizona also had two players foul out and another who had four.
“The fouls and the offensive rebounds are the difference,” Barnes said. “They had 18 offensive rebounds and 50 points in the paint. That’s the game right there and we shot a good percentage.”
BIG PICTURE
USC: The Trojans struggled to find much of an offensive rhythm against Arizona until late and pulled out a gutty win with their star freshman watching from the bench.
Arizona: The Wildcats appeared to be in position to pull off a second victory over a top-10 team in a week. Arizona faded late in regulation to allow USC to tie it and couldn’t make the key plays down the stretch in the second overtime.
UP NEXT
USC plays at Arizona State on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.
2 OT thriller in Tucson
No. 7 USC prevails over Arizona in back-and-forth battle. Highlights pic.twitter.com/nwdi8onII6
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 1, 2024