No. 16 USC women’s basketball lean on versatility for Big Ten opener
USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb believes her team’s strengths lie in its versatility, but also in its character.
“We’ve really made a concerted effort to work and get better,” she told reporters. “It doesn’t always happen.
“It’s not just getting better at your jumper or getting better at a play. It’s mentally saying, do we need to talk more? Do we need to be tougher? They’ve been really bought in on that end, which I don’t take for granted at all.”
The No. 16 Trojans (6-2) begin Big Ten Conference play Sunday against No. 21 Washington (8-0) as a confident, prepared team – even without star player Juju Watkins. New players have been galvanized by a difficult nonconference schedule, and there’s still room to grow.
“We should be better in January than we were in December and be better in February than we were in January,” Gottlieb said, “because we’ve got so many young, new pieces coming together, and I just think we’re only beginning to scratch the surface.”
Jazzy Davidson has thrived in her first year at the college level despite missing nearly a month of preseason training due to illness.
She’s carrying the largest load for USC and leading the team in scoring with 16 points per game while pulling down a team-high 6.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-1 freshman guard is also best in the Big Ten in with 2.4 blocks per game.
Gottlieb anticipates her seeing more time directing the offense in the future.
“We rely on her for a lot of things,” the coach said, “but now I’m slowly giving her just more responsibility, even just as a point guard. We know what she’s capable of. She can score, she can playmake, she can rebound. She can create for others, she can cut off the ball.”
Washington is the second-best blocking team in the conference behind USC. The Huskies also rank third in the conference in rebounding with 44.9 per game, grabbing twice as many defensive boards as offensive ones.
“We want to be a team that gives ourselves extra attempts,” Gottlieb said. “It’s been a point of emphasis. It’s been a focus. We’ve got to rebound the basketball. We’re going to do our best to continue to emphasize that with our team.”
Washington’s 5-foot-11 senior guard Elle Ladine missed the first six games of the season due to an undisclosed injury but is now scoring a team-leading 17 points per game while also shooting 39.3% from 3-point range.
Sayvia Sellers (15.3 ppg), Dalayah Daniels (12.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Trojan transfer Avery Howell (12.1 ppg) shouldered the scoring load while she was out.
“The team has good ball movement,” Gottlieb said. “You got to be ready to guard. You got to be ready to not let them be comfortable in what they like to do. It’s not really a team where you focus on one player, but you got to focus on concepts.”
Washington will be the fourth ranked team USC plays this season after a win over No. 9 North Carolina State and losses to No. 2 South Carolina and No. 24 Notre Dame. Meanwhile, the Trojans will be the Huskies’ first ranked opponent.
Senior transfers Kara Dunn (Georgia Tech) and Londynn Jones (UCLA) have emerged to play key roles for USC, thanks to their experience as well as scoring abilities.
Dunn is shooting 51.4% from the field to contribute 12.2 points per game, and her aggressive style of defending has allowed her to grab 14 steals in eight games.
Jones has provided a spark off the bench to the tune of 11.8 points per game. While Jones was primarily a 3-point threat at UCLA, the Trojans depend on her not just for shooting but also to defend and move the ball.
“We knew with each transfer what we thought they could fulfill for us or a need that they could fulfill, or what they could bring,” Gottlieb said. “As it’s happened in real time, it’s been actually a lot of fun to tinker with as a coach.”
No. 21 WASHINGTON (8-0) at No. 16 USC (6-2)
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Galen Center
TV/radio: Big Ten Network/710 AM