USC fights on to Elite 8 with 74-70 win over Baylor Bears
The No. 1 seed USC Trojans gutted out a hard-earned 74-70 win over the No. 5 Baylor Bears on Saturday afternoon in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. USC won for the 15th time in 16 games and once again it was true freshman JuJu Watkins serving as the headliner, but far from alone in securing the win.
Watkins finished with 30 points, six rebounds, four assists, four blocks, one steal and just two turnovers against the Bears. It’s the 14th time she scored at least 30 points this season as she extends her school record in that category. But it didn’t always come easily for Watkins, who made just 8-of-28 shots from the floor and was just 2-for-11 from 3-point range. And after back-to-back three-pointers that pushed USC out to a 47-41 lead with 6:33 remaining in the third quarter, Watkins missed her next seven shots and didn’t score again until there was just 3:13 remaining in the game and Baylor had tied the score at 64. Of course, Watkins was up to the task with, converting a momentum-changing, game-saving, three-point play that gave USC a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Watkins scored nine-straight points for USC down the stretch, including six clutch free throws with less than two minutes remaining, to keep the Trojans out in front.
But once again, this wasn’t only the Watkins show. As Baylor clamped down on Watkins for some stretches of the game, other Trojans helped deliver the win. McKenzie Forbes finished with 14 points. Rayah Marshall had another double-double with 11 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Kayla Padilla had eight points. And Kayla Williams played nine huge minutes off the bench, serving as a defensive stopper against Baylor’s Jada Walker when Walker’s speed started giving Padilla problems late in the game.
Baylor’s ball movement and three-point shooting kept the Bears firmly in the game and gave the Trojans some problems defensively. That was especially true in a lopsided third quarter that Baylor won 26-16. Baylor opened the quarter hitting seven of its first nine shots, with six assists on those seven makes. Two Walker buckets to close the quarter sent Baylor into the fourth quarter up 57-53 and USC looking for answers.
The Trojans found those quickly to open the fourth quarter, with Padilla converting a three-point play and Forbes drilling a transition three to put the Trojans up 59-57.
With the win, USC moves onto the Elite 8 and will play the winner of the Saturday evening game between No. 3 UConn and No. 7 Duke. That game will tip at 6 pm PT on Monday, April 1.
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