USC falls in double overtime to Arizona

In a double-overtime battle Sunday afternoon, the Trojans fell to the No. 17 Arizona Wildcats 81-75. The Trojans aimed to carry the momentum from a statement victory over Colorado on Friday and looked to acquire their third win against ranked opponents in their return to Galen Center, yet they failed to finish the game on top. 

The Trojans’ offense began the game with 6 early turnovers compared to Arizona’s 2. The Wildcats pounced on these opportunities to take a narrow 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Graduate guard Destiny Littleton opened the scoring column of the second quarter with a dagger 3-pointer which gave the Trojans their first lead. Littleton took command of the court as USC extended its lead to as many as 10 points and finished the half leading 24-18.

“[Littleton] has the experience, she’s always pumping positive energy into us, and [she] holds us accountable,” said sophomore forward Rayah Williams in a post-game interview. “You can always expect the same from her … great energy, making big shots and making big plays. It’s really great to have her on our team.” 

Coming out of halftime, the narrative shifted. USC’s discipline unraveled as they committed 6 fouls in the third quarter alone compared to their 3 fouls in the first half. Moreover, the Wildcats continued to turn USC’s excess of turnovers into points — USC finished the game with 18 turnovers. 

“I thought we had some careless ones that are going to keep me up tonight, and probably the next night, and the next night until we play again,” said Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb in a post-game interview. “Credit to them, they put a lot of heat on, and if you’re careless in any way, they’re trying to get points out of it … we have to be better with that.”

USC also struggled to defend Arizona in the paint where fifth-year forward Cate Reese scored 22 of her 33 points. 

“Props to her, she was a force on the block,” Williams said. “I was feeling physical and connected with her. I was lucky enough to get a couple of blocks, but I feel like being an aggressor with her would’ve been key.”

Down 39-33, Littleton drilled a 3-pointer at the sound of the third-quarter buzzer. With the lead cut to one possession, graduate guard Rokia Doumbia came off the bench looking to keep the Trojan’s hopes for an upset alive. To tie the game in the final minutes of regulation, she hit a 3-pointer followed by a pivotal layup.  

As the game headed into overtime, Doumbia sustained her electrifying performance when she played a personal-high of 28 minutes and scored 17 points by going 6/6 on field goals.

“Working hard and finally seeing that your hard work pays off [and] seeing that everybody is hyped whenever you get the chance to do something really well, it feels great,” Doumbia said. 

Gottlieb recognized how Doumbia’s diligence in practice has translated into her strengthening impact in the game.

“[Doumbia] has been in the gym extra [and] she has been practicing incredibly well.” Gottlieb said We keep telling them, ‘be ready when the opportunity comes.’ I don’t think this just happened tonight. [Doumbia] was fantastic tonight, but in the last couple of times she’s been in the game she’s been incredibly helpful to us.”

With 5.7 seconds left in the first overtime, USC failed to convert on their possession. The Wildcats secured the second overtime victory when Arizona fifth-year guard Jade Loville scored a pair of clutch jumpers.

“It was a heck of a basketball game … we just couldn’t get the critical stop when we needed to,” Gottlieb said. “I thought our players fought hard enough to give us a chance to win, but we couldn’t close it out. I have no doubt that it’s going to help us somewhere down the road.”

Despite the tough loss, USC remains optimistic as they head into the final stretch of conference play and into the Pac-12 tournament. The Trojans will take on Oregon at Galen Center Friday at 7 p.m.