Kara Dunn held her proper wrist aloft for an additional beat. Simply to make sure.
It had been some time, by that time within the second quarter, since USC had seen a deep jumper drop. As Dunn lifted off from behind the arc towards Portland on Tuesday, 19 of the Trojans’ earlier 20 three-point makes an attempt, going again to Saturday’s battle with South Carolina, had missed, a stretch of futility unusual to a staff that principally scored at will a season in the past.
However earlier than any of these early issues grew too obvious Tuesday night time, Dunn watched as her jumper safely discovered the underside of the web. Inside a couple of minutes from there, USC discovered its offensive mojo once more, bouncing again from Saturday’s South Carolina loss to beat Portland 78-51.
It had a suffocating defensive effort to thank for that. Nobody was questioning the place its mojo was on that finish Tuesday as USC pressured a shocking 29 turnovers, its most since final November, when the Trojans tallied a file 42 towards California State Northridge. 5 gamers had a number of steals within the win.
Jazzy Davidson dribbles down the court docket beneath strain from Portland’s Florence Dallow at Galen Middle on Tuesday night time.
(Melina Pizano / Getty Photos)
“When we’re at our best defensively, it leads us to offense,” freshman Jazzy Davidson mentioned.
There was no higher instance of that than Davidson, who had three steals, all of which become breakaway lay-ins. She additionally had 19 factors, seven rebounds and 5 assists in one other stat-stuffing efficiency.
“She was heating up the ball, getting steals in our press, bringing the ball up, getting to the basket,” mentioned sophomore Kennedy Smith, who had 13 factors Tuesday. “That’s what she does best.”
USC will should be at its greatest on each ends Friday, when it faces No. 24 Notre Dame. However as of Tuesday, there have been nonetheless loads of questions concerning the state of its offense, which faces the unattainable job this season of changing JuJu Watkins.
The frontcourt stays a piece in progress, with none of USC’s 4 bigs taking part in greater than 12 minutes Tuesday. Smith has been inconsistent as a No. 2 scorer, alongside Davidson, whereas Londynn Jones has been one of many Trojans’ greatest scorers off the bench. She had 12 on Tuesday.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb insisted Tuesday that her staff has loads of succesful 3-pointers. However coming into the sport, the Trojans have been taking pictures 25% from lengthy vary. They ended up taking pictures 36% on Tuesday, however hit eight of their closing 18 after lacking their first seven.
“We’re all in new spots,” Gottlieb mentioned. “ It’s all new people playing together. Once they start to go down more regularly, we’ll start to see more of these 24- and 26-point quarters more often.”
It regarded bleak by way of the primary quarter Tuesday. USC opened the sport one for seven from the sphere, with its offense searching of kinds, and scored a meager 10 factors within the first 10 minutes. Portland, recent off an NCAA match invite final season, opened an early eight-point benefit and led for a lot of the first half.
Portland’s Florence Dallow makes an attempt to go round USC’s Kennedy Smith, who leaps within the air Tuesday at Galen Middle.
(Melina Pizano / Getty Photos)
Till Dunn’s three-pointer on the 5:42 mark of the second quarter, USC had hit only one shot exterior of the paint.
However the mere sight of a long-distance jumper was apparently sufficient to jump-start issues on that finish. Davidson snagged a steal on the subsequent possession, the third turnover of the quarter she’d flip right into a breakaway lay-in. Kennedy Smith adopted with a steal and a lay-in. Then, Jones pulled up from three-point vary and sunk one.
By the tip of the barrage, USC had turned an eight-point deficit in the beginning of the second quarter right into a 13-point lead, simply seven minutes later. It completed the half on a 24-5 run.
Davidson was the spark plug. She scored 14 on seven-of 10 taking pictures within the first half. The remainder of the staff was eight of 24 in that span.
Portland reduce USC’s result in simply seven factors halfway by way of the third quarter. However the Trojans’ protection turned it type there. Portland made simply three photographs within the fourth quarter, whereas USC hit six from 3-point vary.
“We’re still a work in progress,” Gottlieb mentioned. “But we’ll take it.”
