No. 15 USC Women’s Basketball Storms Cal In 79-69 Comeback Win In Berkeley - USC Athletics (2024)

BERKELEY, CALIF. — The No. 15 USC women's basketball team fought out of a 13-point deficit to stake its biggest winning comeback of the season, beating host California 79-69 in Berkeley today. The win makes it a Bay Area sweep for the Trojans, who topped No. 4 Stanford at Maples Pavilion for the first time since 2001 behind JuJu Watkins' USC-record 51 points on Friday night. USC is now 16-4 overall and 6-4 in Pac-12 play, while Cal goes to 130-10, 3-8.

Cal was hitting at a 56-percent clip in the first quarter to build out a double-digit lead on the Trojans before JuJu Watkins got going for USC. The freshman scored 14 points in the second quarter and got 3-point help from McKenzie Forbes while the Trojans carved down the deficit. Tied in the final seconds, Cal scored late to hold a 39-37 lead at halftime, with the Golden Bears having shot 48.4 percent in the first half to outpace USC's 41.4 percent first-half effort. The Bears also had the advantage on the boards, 19-17 in the first 20 minutes of play. The Trojans would catch the Bears in the third, but Cal led it 61-58 on its ninth 3-pointer of the day entering the fourth. There, USC's defense went on lockdown while its offense stayed the course, outscoring Cal 21-8 in the fourth frame to maneuver to the road win. The Trojans and Bears each finished up at 43.9 percent from the floor, while USC forced 14 turnovers out of the Bears and wound up ahead on the boards 35-32.

USC was led in scoring by JuJu Watkins' 29 points, joined in double digits by McKenzie Forbes with 12 points and Kaitlyn Davis with 10 points and eight rebounds. Watkins and Forbes reached dished out five assists, while Watkins nabbed four steals for the Trojan cause. Cal received 21 points from Ioanna Krimili, who hit five 3-pointers for the Bears, along with 18 points and nine rebounds from Marta Suárez.

Cal got out of the gates going 5-of-6 from the floor in building out a 12-4 lead three minutes into the action. USC carved it down to a 12-9 margin on a bucket from JuJu Watkins and then a 3-pointer from Kayla Padilla, but the Bears bit back with a 9-0 rally with a trio of threes. Taylor Bigby hit a three for the Trojan cause later, but that was followed by another Cal trey, and USC would trail 26-15 at the end of the first frame. Watkins would punch up USC's first seven points of the second quarter, and then McKenzie Forbes hit a three for USC to get the deficit down to double digits at 33-25 with 4:55 on the clock. Watkins and Forbes each dumped in threes within a minute of each other to get USC within one, down 36-35 with 50 seconds left in the half. A free throw from Davis knotted it up with 30 seconds left, and then Cal got one to go down low before the buzzer to grip a 39-37 lead at halftime.

Cal opened up with buckets again, but this time the Trojans fired right back. Kayla Padilla buried 3-pointers in a 10-2 USC rally that carried the Trojans to their first lead of the game, up 47-46 with 6:05 on the clock. Cal crept back into the lead, up 53-49 at 4:34 before USC made a 7-0 surge to work into a 56-53 advantage with 1:50 left in the frame. A bucket from Rayah Marshall had USC up 58-56 entering the final minute, where the Bears found an equalizer and then a go-ahead late three to hold the hosts up 61-58 entering the fourth. Kaitlyn Davis lit the fuse on an 8-0 USC run that tugged the Trojans to a 66-61 lead. A 3-pointer from Kayla Williams at the 5-minute mark had USC up 71-66. Forbes followed with a successful trip to the stripe at 3:36 to net a 73-66 lead, and USC would stay the course as Forbes stayed perfect at the line to help top off a 79-69 USC road win.

NEXT:
USC returns to Los Angeles to host the Arizona schools next, first facing the Sun Devils at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 9) before a Monday (Feb. 12) meeting with the Wildcats at 6 p.m. at Galen Center.

NOTABLE:
- USC's win at No. 4 Stanford and victory at Cal marked the Trojans' first winning road trip through the Bay Area schools since the 2000-01 season.
- USC's comeback from a 13-point deficit marked its biggest winning comeback effort thisseason.
- USC's win also marked the first time the Trojans have come back to win after trailing entering the fourth quarter.
- With agame-high 29 points, FR JuJu Watkins has now led USC in scoring in 18 of the 19 games she's played.
- Watkins was perfect from the free-throw line (3-for-3 today) for the eighth tims this season.
- With two 3-pointers made today, GSMcKenzie Forbeshas hit at least one three in the past 18 games.