It was certainly possible for USC to beat No. 2 UCLA and give the Bruins their first loss of the women’s college basketball season on Sunday. However, it wasn’t likely — not with Rayah Marshall out. Not with UCLA playing great basketball and joining South Carolina as one of the top two teams in the country.
Yet, USC found a way to beat the Bruins even when shorthanded. The Trojans seem to have grown considerably in belief, confidence and trust.
USC’s McKenzie Forbes explained this to 247Sports after the win over UCLA:
“I think, even last week in the two wins, like any win in the Pac-12 is huge for morale, so I think you can’t take that for granted and you have to take that and build on it,” Forbes said. “I think tonight, we showed so much [of] what we’re capable of, not just to fans, but to ourselves.
“I think defensively, without Rayah, to have such a defensive performance is huge. I think it showed how deep we are, and to me, that win only makes me more excited and more locked in, and I think I could speak for the whole team when I say that.”
JuJu Watkins added,
“I think, as a team, we just were so eager on defense [and] very active, and I fed off of my teammates energy. [Kayla Padilla] getting steals, [Taylor Bigby] getting steals, and you just want to be a part of that. You want to contribute to your team, so on the defensive end, we played a great defensive game — the whole team.”
If this level of defense and accountability remain with the Trojans, they’re going to be very hard to beat.
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