LOS ANGELES — The USC women’s basketball team breathes in the national spotlight because of its fast-paced offense and flashy superstar JuJu Watkins. But what separates these Trojans from their peers, and increases their ceiling from last year’s Elite 8 run, is their defensive versatility.
One in which, Watkins, the point guard, is tied for the team lead in blocks and center Rayah Marshall is the head of the snake on their full-court press.
On Saturday in its opening-round game of the NCAA Tournament, it was that defense that allowed USC to survive a slow start as it suffocated UNC Greensboro and made up for the sloppy offensive play, boosting the Trojans to a 71-25 win at the Galen Center.
The Trojans (29-3) held the Spartans to 7-of-54 shooting from the field, including a second quarter in which they went without a field goal.
Marshall had a season-high seven blocks to go with a pair of steals. Watkins grabbed three steals and led USC with 22 points, as she fought through a a pair of injuries.
Early in the first half, Watkins was in clear discomfort, grabbing and shaking her left hand as a player does after jamming a finger, trying to wring the injury out. It wasn’t visible in the box score, and she did well to hide it apart from the initial wincing, coming out of halftime with a wrap around her fingers and finishing layups with the right hand on the left side a handful of times.
Watkins also couldn’t catch a pass that Kennedy Smith rifled her way in the first quarter.
Even with Watkins hampered, she was USC’s clear best source of offense. Smith overthrew Marshall on a post-entry pass. Kiki Iriafen committed a pair of offensive fouls and a traveling violation. Talia Von Oelhoffen rushed a drive and dribbled it off her foot.
The Trojans turned it over 11 times in the first half. They led just 12-8 at the end of the first quarter.
From that point on, though, they allowed UNC Greensboro (25-7) just 15 points.
On the first possession of the second quarter, Marshall sent back Nya Smith’s shot attempt for her third block. Marshall protected the rim and was also on the front line of the Trojans’ press, her 6-foot-4 frame and activity agitating the Spartans. Watkins, on the next line of the press, picked Jayde Gamble’s pocket and finished the break with a euro-step layup.
If a jammed finger wasn’t enough, Watkins turned her ankle midway through the third quarter on a drive to the basket. She recovered quickly, re-entering the play unguarded to knock down a corner 3-pointer, but left the game and went to the locker room on the next dead ball.
With her out, USC’s defense held strong. Kayleigh Heckel and Malia Samuels hounded the Spartans’ ball-handlers. Heckel stole the ball from Makiah Asidanya and went coast-to-coast for a layup and then Samuels stepped in front of the ensuing inbound pass and finished through contact for an and-one reverse.
With USC leading 53-16 at the end of the third quarter, Watkins returned to the game, again masking her pain. She drove for a layup, which gave her 22 points, and fed Iriafen for a pair of baskets before finally subbing out.
In the end, the Trojans won in blowout fashion, but it wasn’t their ordinary, offensively potent dominance. They did it with defense, showing no fear when the game slowed down and got mucky. And Watkins, bound by injuries but playing through them, represented her team’s fight.
Rhythm will come on offense for this USC team, which ranks ninth in the country with 81.5 points per game. But gritty performances, like Saturday’s when defense was the headliner, show the Trojans’ potential for a deeper run.