USC women’s basketball learned a lesson, turning one tough loss into a huge win

USC women’s basketball ended the month of February with the kind of galvanizing moment which should increase this team’s belief heading into March Madness. Not having JuJu Watkins in crunch-time minutes due to a foul-out is something which had happened to USC before Thursday’s game at Arizona.

It is important to note that USC was caught shorthanded in a high-stress situation nearly 40 days before Thursday’s double-overtime victory in Tucson. A previous game in January planted the seeds which grew in the desert on the final night of February. The Trojans can convincingly tell themselves they are much more prepared for March.

Let’s go through this progression in the Women of Troy, who just grew up in a big way against Arizona:

THE PLAY ON WHICH JUJU FOULED OUT VS COLORADO ON JANUARY 21

TROJANS FIGHT UPHILL BATTLE IN LAST 6 MINUTES IN BOULDER

JuJu Watkins fouled out with 5:50 left against Colorado in Boulder on January 21. McKenzie Forbes had to handle the ball a lot more. She committed a few late-game turnovers which turned into important baskets for Colorado in a 63-59 USC loss.

USC FOUGHT HARD, JUST NOT WELL ENOUGH

USC, despite being without JuJu Watkins in the last six minutes, had a chance to tie or take the lead in the last 30 seconds but missed against Colorado. The Trojans stayed in that game, but they couldn’t finish plays. The effort was there, but not the precision.

EFFORT STILL THERE AGAINST ARIZONA ON FEBRUARY 29

USC’s effort remained great in the final stages of the fourth quarter against Arizona. Kaitlyn Davis grabbing two offensive rebounds inside the final 16 seconds and setting up Kayla Padilla’s tying 3-pointer represented the level of determination USC had. Padilla hit the big shot to turn effort into achievement and send the game into overtime.

FORBES STEPS FORWARD

McKenzie Forbes struggled at the end of the January 21 Colorado game with JuJu Watkins fouling out. Forbes scored six big points in the second overtime and fed teammates on assist passes to help USC cross the finish line. Forbes, like USC, grew and learned from that experience in Boulder nearly 40 days ago.

BIG SHOT PADILLA

Kayla Padilla not only hit the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation; she hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the second overtime and came up huge for USC. The Trojans got just a little more production in addition to their effort.

KAITLYN DAVIS

Kaitlyn Davis scored just three points against Colorado on January 21. She scored 16 with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals against Arizona. USC doesn’t win this game without her added contributions. She has played terrific basketball the past two weeks.

RAYAH ROARS

Rayah Marshall’s 26 points and 11 rebounds provided JuJu-level scoring production and kept USC afloat on a night when the backcourt struggled to hit 3-point shots. JuJu, Padilla, and Forbes hit a combined 3 of 19 3-pointers before Padilla caught fire late. Without Marshall, USC wouldn’t have remained close enough to steal this win in the final minute of regulation.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire