Trojans take on No. 9 Utes looking for fifth straight win

The USC women’s basketball team is looking to extend their best start to a season since the 1993-94 season. They are coming off a sweep of Washington’s Pac-12 schools, with their latest win against Washington coming in a nail-biting overtime victory, 63-54. USC will be playing the nationally-ranked No. 9 Utah Utes on Friday in Salt Lake City. 

Second-season Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb still thinks the Trojans have a lot to prove.

“We’re trying to improve ourselves and I think that keeps momentum automatically,” said Gottlieb in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “We’re also cognizant of the good situation we put ourselves in, and no one wants to take steps back.”

The Trojans showed out in Washington, especially sophomore guard Rayah Marshall on the defensive end. Marshall grabbed a total of 29 rebounds against Washington and Washington State, while blocking a total of 10 of the opponents’ shots. Marshall brings a huge presence to the Trojans’ defense, standing at six-foot-four.

“She’s just a monster protecting the rim,” Gottlieb said. “Her timing is great, she’s learned a ton in terms of just how to manage the game from in the paint,” Gottlieb said. “We’re really lucky to have her.”

Last season, Marshall led all freshmen in the country in blocks per game with 2.54. This year she has topped that mark, now averaging 3.1 blocks per game in her sophomore campaign. 

“She’s there when we need her the most … Anytime any of the guards got beat, she was there and honestly we won the [Washington] game because of her,” said graduate guard Destiny Littleton.

The Utes are 16-2 in the season, and specifically 6-2 in conference play. They have a perfect 8-0 record at home in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Their leading scorer and rebounder, junior forward Alissa Pili, averages 20.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Notably, Pili transferred from USC last spring. 

The Trojans are looking to play their style of basketball to get the win against the Utes.

“We can’t focus too much on other teams,” Marshall said. “We do know we’re going to come out with our best effort and whatever that looks like for us, just doing whatever is necessary to hopefully go home with a victory.” 

The Trojans have won eight of their last ten games against the Utes dating back to the 2017-18 season. Last season, they split the season series against each other, losing their first matchup 69-91, then winning the finale 83-62. 

USC has some wins against some really tough opponents in the Pac-12, including then-second-ranked Stanford on Jan. 15. They have caught the country on notice.

“We have a target on our back now,” Littleton said. “Everything that we do, we have to be clean with it, value every possession going into the weekend … we’re locked in every single day and not taking any day for granted.” 

Littleton, a transfer from last year’s national champion South Carolina, has been clicking the right buttons on offense the past couple of games. She has 18 or more points in three of the past four games for the Trojans, including a 20-point game on Sunday over Washington. 

Her teammate, Marshall, praised her leadership on the court.

“She’s a leader, she’s vocal … she knows what needs to get done and what’s necessary, and she’s been doing a great job [playing point guard],” Marshall said.

Littleton and Marshall look to carry the Trojans to extending their winning streak at Utah Friday at 6 p.m.