The Trojans are winning … in March.

Thursday evening at MGM Grand Garden Arena, No. 2-seeded USC (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) bested No. 7-seeded Arizona (17-15, 8-10) with a score of 65-62. The win marks the first time under Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb that the Trojans have won a Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament game.

But as exciting as the game was, center court demanded attention well before tipoff. In a pregame ceremony, redshirt freshman guard Aaliyah Gayles wiped away tears as she accepted the Tammy Blackburn Inspiration Award. Gayles returned to the floor earlier this season after she’d recovered from gunshot injuries suffered in Las Vegas nearly two years ago.  

Gayles stayed at center court to greet each of her teammates out of the tunnel. And with every handshake, she imparted a spirit of determination that would eventually lead USC to tough out its first tournament win since 2021. 

To start the game, USC hardly missed a shot. It opened with a 13-point run, and the Wildcats didn’t get their first points on the board until 4:15 remained in the first period.

But sloppy play in the second period led to a frenzy of turnovers, allowing Arizona to narrow the scoring margin. USC finished the game with a season-high 21 turnovers. 

Luckily for the Trojans, redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby was able to keep the offense alive from downtown. She finished the game with 9 points off of a trio of triples.

Coming out of halftime leading 30-25, the Trojans continued to struggle with turnovers and the Wildcats capitalized. Arizona took its first lead with 4:45 left in the third period, but that moment wasn’t much of a turnaround. Rather, USC took it as a wake-up call to clean up its play and embark on another scoring run.

All of a sudden, after taking a 12-point lead early in the fourth period, the Trojans couldn’t find the basket for over two minutes. The Wildcats were able to lessen their deficit to a manageable 5 points until USC graduate guard McKenzie Forbes shifted the game yet again.

With 2:47 remaining in the game, Forbes drilled a 3-pointer to give the Trojans an 8-point lead. The shot didn’t quite put all fears of an upset to rest, but it did give USC a large enough lead to withstand a pair of late Wildcat threes.

Ultimately, it took a well-rounded effort for the Trojans to pull this one out. With an excess of turnovers, they had to turn on the gas on the defensive end and make buckets anytime they had the chance. 

Junior center Rayah Marshall led the Trojans’ defensive attack from the beginning and recorded 15 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in her first ever Pac-12 tournament game win.  

On the offensive side of the floor, USC shot 46% compared to the Wildcats’ 38.7%. Freshman guard JuJu Watkins sat atop the point column with 17 points and eight rebounds. 

The Trojans will return Friday, March 8 to MGM Grand Garden Arena at 7:30 p.m. to face the winner of Thursday night’s final game between No. 6-seeded Utah (22-10, 11–7) and No.3-seeded UCLA (25-5, 13-5).