LOS ANGELES — With an offense consisting of senior guard JuJu Watkins, sophomore guard Jazzy Davidson and freshman guard Saniyah Hall, it will be hard to envision many teams outscoring the USC women’s basketball team.
The Trojans’ star trio lead the way to a 105-44 rout of College of Charleston in a nonconference game on Tuesday night at the Galen Center.
Third-ranked USC has kicked off its season with three consecutive 100-point performances.
Fresh off being named the AP National Player of the Week, Watkins delivered another masterful performance on her home court. Watkins finished with 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals.
Hall and Davidson each finished with 24 points. Davidson added four rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots to go along with her offensive explosion.
The Trojans’ uptempo offense was too much for Charleston (2-1) to handle. Most of USC’s points early on came via fast-breaks. Twenty of their 29 first-quarter points came on fast-breaks.
When USC had to slow things down on a possession, it was able to generate open looks and hauled in crucial offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive. Freshman forward Sitaya Fagan grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first half.
Fagan and junior guard Ryann Bennett played big roles off the bench. They were able to supplement the Trojans’ starters with offensive efficiency and physicality.
Bennett is proving herself as a reliable guard option for USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb. She was the lone player off the bench to score in double-digits, finishing with 10 points.
In addition to dealing with USC’s stifling defense, which forced eight turnovers in the first quarter alone, the Cougars struggled with foul trouble. By the end of the opening quarter, Charleston accumulated six fouls.
The aggressiveness from the Cougars allowed USC to find even more success in transition. Watkins’ defensive prowess opened up opportunities for the Trojans on the fast break.
Freshman center Sara Okeke dominated against the Cougars’ smaller frontcourt. Okeke, a 6-foot-5 center, finished with eight points and was a perfect 4 for 4 from the field.
Despite not being able to keep up with the Trojans in transition, Charleston came out swinging to begin the second quarter. They were able to cut down on the turnovers, which created more opportunities with the longer possessions.
Charleston scored 15 points in the second quarter, which is the second-most given up in a quarter by the Trojans this season. USC kept its foot on the pedal with another 29-point quarter to close out the first half.
By halftime, the Trojans had built a 58-23 advantage. Watkins, Hall, and Davidson had double-digit points, closing out one of the best opening halves of offense from USC on the young season.
Although she’s an underclassman, Davidson looked like a veteran leader on the court. She was able to scheme up a quick look for Hall early in the third quarter, who promptly knocked down the mid-range shot to extend the Trojans’ lead to 37 points with 7:15 remaining in the quarter.
The Trojans’ lead soared up to 51 points when Davidson closed out the third quarter with a layup as time expired.
Gottlieb unloaded the bench to begin the fourth quarter with the Trojans up by a wide margin. Charleston was able to slow down USC’s offense a bit, but defensively it was one of the Trojans’ finest quarters. The Cougars shot 20% from the field for eight points in the final period.
Isla Juffermans scored 12 points and Anilys Rolon had 10 for the Cougars, who committed 21 turnovers that led to 28 points for USC.
More to come on this story.