USC women held scoreless for almost a quarter, but rally to win

Davidson helps No. 16 Trojans pull away late against Huskies for Gottlieb’s 100th win.

- By Ryan KaRTJE

Jazzy Davidson glanced at the basket with less than two minutes left in USC’s Big Ten opener and in a split-second’s time considered her options. Nearly nothing had fallen from three-point range for the Trojans. It took 25 minutes Sunday just to see one threepointer drop, and the TroJans had made only two.

But the mere threat of the freshman pulling up for a shot, even on a night defined by defensive struggle, was enough to give Davidson the sliver of space she needed. After pausing, she raced past her defender and toward the basket, lifting for a finger roll that propelled USC past Washington in a 59-50 victory.

The win wasn’t just a significant statement for USC ahead of its heavyweight battle with No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday. It was also a major mile marker for Lindsay Gottlieb, who became the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins.