The USC Trojans women’s basketball team lost on the road against Utah, 78-58, on Friday night. After defeating UCLA and moving up the rankings, the Trojans took a step back in Salt Lake City.
Alissa Pili was a force to reckon with for Utah. She had 37 points and was as good as she has ever been as a college basketball star. Pili scored 37 against South Carolina earlier this season. Against the Trojans, she matched that total. She was on fire, making 13 of 16 shots and 5 of 6 3-pointers in a brilliant display. She was the best player on the court.
USC’s JuJu Watkins was the second-best player on the floor in this game. She continued to put up strong numbers. She led USC again, this time scoring 26 points on 11-22 shooting with five rebounds and three steals.
The only other USC player in double figures was McKenzie Forbes, who scored 11 points but was just 3 of 13 from the field.
As has been the case for the majority of the season, it was the JuJu Watkins show on the USC side of things. She was the star against UCLA, scoring 32 points with 10 rebounds, and had cramps by the end of it all. She needed more help in this game.
She didn’t get it. One limitation for USC was that Rayah Marshall — who was ill against UCLA and did not play this past Sunday — played only 16 minutes. USC needs a full-strength Marshall to compete against the elite teams in a loaded Pac-12.
Despite the loss to Utah on Friday, Watkins was the engine that kept this USC train moving. The Trojans will need another huge game from JuJu against No. 3 Colorado on Sunday afternoon in Boulder.
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