USC women’s basketball loses to Arizona in double-OT thriller
The USC Trojans left everything on the court against the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday afternoon in the Galen Center. One of the harsh truths about sports and — more broadly — competition is that you can do really well, but if the opponent does even better, you still lose. It’s painful, but it also offers a reminder that losing when playing well is a much better feeling than losing when playing poorly. Losing when playing well enables athletes and coaches to sleep a lot better at night than when giving away a game.
Make no mistake: USC did not give away this game to Arizona. The Wildcats took it from the Trojans. Arizona earned this victory as fully as any team could.
Keep in mind that Arizona rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun No. 14 UCLA in overtime on Friday in Pauley Pavilion. The Wildcats had to refill the fuel tank and gear up for USC on Sunday afternoon, roughly 36 hours later. They fought into double overtime against the Trojans and were the last team standing.
That’s one heckuva tough team. That’s the college basketball program which made the 2021 Final Four and lost narrowly to Stanford in an all-Pac-12 national championship game. That’s a really good program. USC wasn’t expected to be at Arizona’s level this season. The Trojans nearly beat the Wildcats in double overtime. It’s an indicator that USC is on the right track for the future.
However, in the present tense, Arizona is better, albeit by a narrow margin. The Wildcats hit tough jump shots in the final 35 seconds to force overtime and then double overtime. They took control in the second OT period, winning 81-75 in a marvelous college basketball game.
There’s really only one thing for USC to truly regret about how this game unfolded: turnovers. USC committed 16 in the first 31 minutes. The Trojans led by 10 points, 24-14, late in the second quarter, but turnovers kept Arizona in the game. The Wildcats grabbed a 43-36 lead early in the fourth quarter, with USC not retaining enough possessions in a typically defense-oriented battle.
However, in the last nine minutes of regulation and in 10 overtime minutes (two five-minute OT periods), USC committed only two turnovers. The Trojans cleaned things up, produced much better offensive possessions, and twice had late leads. Arizona simply hit tough shots under pressure. USC had a chance to win in the final 10 seconds of regulation. Okako Adika had a 14-foot jumper. She simply missed it. That happens. It was a good offensive possession. The shot simply didn’t fall.
Then, at the end of the first overtime period, USC’s Destiny Littleton missed a contested shot on a dribble drive to the basket. The Trojans came that close to winning, but when the outcome is decided by “we missed a shot, they made one,” there’s not really much to regret.
Arizona delivered great performances on Sunday.
Cate Reese had 33 points and 7 rebounds, playing nearly the whole game. Maya Nnaji, a freshman, hit the jumper which tied the game late in the first OT period. Jade Loville hit the tiebreaking shot which gave Arizona the lead for good in the second overtime stanza. She finished with 17 points.
Those Arizona performances were enough to overcome USC’s efforts. Destiny Littleton scored 21 points with 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Rayah Marshall pulled down 20 rebounds and blocked 7 shots. She also scored 17 points in a terrific display. Kadi Sissoko struggled for much of the game but scored big baskets late in regulation and in the first overtime. She finished with 15. Rokia Doumbia came off the bench to produce 17 huge points in one of her best games of the season by far.
This was a case of two teams playing really well, and Arizona hitting the shots which mattered most. No regrets for USC. This program is headed in the right direction and is headed for brighter days.
The Trojans are still very likely to make the NCAA Tournament. If they keep playing like this, they’re going to be just fine.
