The USC women’s basketball team was fortunate to beat Ole Miss, 68-66, on Monday in Paris. The Trojans committed a whopping 26 turnovers. They made only one 3-point shot. They had a very hard time making field goals in the second half, relying on free throws to get over the finish line versus an excellent defensive team. Part of the reason this game was so difficult for USC is that one of its starters, point guard Talia von Oelhoffen, had a bad day at the office. This should not be seen as an indicator of what we are likely to see from her this season, but it is undeniably a point of concern.
We have to start with the obvious point that this is just one game. Let’s not react too strongly to a season opener against a good defensive team. Moreover, von Oelhoffen picked up three quick fouls and had to sit for large portions of this game. She then picked up a fourth foul in the third quarter. The whistle was a nightmare for her, and that explains most of her performance, in which she scored just two points and committed two turnovers. She did contribute a few assists and rebounds, and her defense contained real value for USC, but one can make a strong connection between USC’s disjointed offense and the fact that von Oelhoffen could not find a comfort zone at that end of the floor.
JuJu Watkins scored 27 points. Kiki Iriafen scored 22. They were both able to draw so much attention from Ole Miss defenders. Normally, von Oelhoffen should be able to feast when her two star teammates are scoring like that. In this game, she was stapled to the bench in the second quarter with foul trouble. In the second half, nothing USC’s offense did was able to work against an Ole Miss defense which controlled the last 15 minutes of games.
Players will get taken completely out of rhythm. It happens. It happens to great players, not just average ones. Talia von Oelhoffen now has to respond and show a capacity to make adjustments across the board — adjusting to the officiating, adjusting to tough on-ball defense, adjusting to defenses overplaying the passing lanes the way Ole Miss did. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb will leave the Ole Miss game knowing she has to unlock TVO’s talents more than any other starter on the USC roster.
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