WOMEN’S BASKETBALL — 2023-24
USC vs. Baylor — as it happened
Last updated:
Scoring plays
Win probability
Game flow
Leaders
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📌 PINNED
Thomas Johnson & Kasey Kazliner from Moda Center; photos by Bryce Dechert and Jordan Renville
The Big Dance is well underway and No. 1-seeded USC is battling No. 5-seeded Baylor for a trip to the Elite Eight.
These two teams haven’t faced each other for over 23 years. Since that outing, the Trojans have not competed in a Sweet 16, whereas the Bears have gone 10-5 in round three of the NCAA Tournament.
We’ll be reporting live from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Refresh to see new updates.
Check out Kasey Kazliner’s preview of the game here.
4:58 p.m.
FINAL: USC outlasts Baylor 74-70 in a thrilling, down to the wire Sweet 16 classic. Watkins notches a 30-point performance to lead the Trojans to their first Elite Eight since 1994. Forbes and Marshall also add double-digit performances in the gritty victory.
4:55 p.m.
The Bears miss a 3-pointer on the other end but foul Marshall, the rebounder, right away. Marshall goes one-for-two at the line so Baylor will get the ball again, down 4, with 7 seconds.
4:51 p.m.
The Trojans’ lead is 3 again after Watkins goes two-for-two from the charity stripe. Timeout Baylor with 19 seconds remaining.
4:49 p.m.
Baylor’s Andrews banks in a 3-point prayer to cut USC’s lead to 1. Timeout on the floor with 22 seconds left in this thrilling contest.
4:48 p.m.
Watkins sinks two clutch free throws to give the Trojans a 4-point edge with 26 seconds to play. Timeout Bears.
4:46 p.m.
USC ball with a chance to take time off the clock with half a minute left.
4:41 p.m.
Davis can’t convert a layup attempt and the ball trickles out of bounds. Referees are determining who to award the ball to in what will be a crucial call in a 2-point game with 29 seconds to go.
4:39 p.m.
Fouls are being called left and right. USC still leads but is hanging on by a thread, up by 2 points with 53 seconds left. The Trojans will get the ball following a 30-second timeout and will need to find a make to cushion their small lead.
4:37 p.m.
Watkins forces herself inside and hits two big free throws to give the Trojans a 69-64 lead with under two minutes to go. Emotions are flaring in a crucial win-or-go-home bout.
4:33 p.m.
Watkins nails a huge and-one layup on a fastbreak and the Trojan faithful erupts. USC’s advantage is 3 points with just over three minutes to go.
4:31 p.m.
Baylor re-takes the lead with the Trojans still struggling offensively. Walker nails a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper to finally give the Bears some life. 64-62 Baylor.
4:28 p.m.
Missed shot after missed shot, both teams can’t find a rhythm with the clock ticking. Turnovers have been aplenty but USC still leads by two with about six minutes remaining. Baylor hasn’t scored in the fourth quarter yet.
4:20 p.m.
Padilla converts an and-one, USC gets a big stop on the other end and Forbes hits a 3-pointer. Timeout Bears with just under nine minutes of action left. The Trojans quickly erase a 4-point deficit and now lead by two, 59-57.
4:14 p.m.
Baylor just kept giving USC trouble in the third quarter. The Bears tallied 7 consecutive points to end the penultimate period and lead by 4. The Trojans face another scoring drought with 0 points in the last two minutes. 57-53 Bears with one quarter to go.
4:10 p.m.
Marshall and Forbes end the scoring skid. Both score inside the key and Forbes hits an and-one shot. Trojans up three with under two minutes to play in the third quarter.
4:06 p.m.
Baylor re-takes the lead with just under three minutes to go in the third following a 3-point make from senior guard Sarah Andrews. The Bears lead 50-49 and are on a 6-0 run, while USC hasn’t scored in nearly two and a half minutes.
4:02 p.m.
Up five with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter, the Trojans will embark on a tough road ahead to close out the second half. Watkins is up to 21 points this afternoon and has scored at all three levels.
3:57 p.m.
Watkins was cold from deep in the first half but nailed back-to-back 3-pointers early to start the third quarter. The Trojans lead by 3 points.
3:56 p.m.
Graduate forward Kaitlyn Davis finds the bottom of the net for the first time tonight for USC’s first field goal of the second half, then tallies another layup. The Trojans still lead, but only by 2, 41-39.
3:37 p.m.
That’s the half! The Bears did a great job of bringing it close toward the end of the second quarter, but USC is still up by 6, leading 37-31. With the way Baylor finished the half, it’ll be a tight one in the final 20 minutes.
3:35 p.m.
Up by 4, USC hasn’t sunk a field goal in over three minutes. Just under a minute until halftime. The Bears are not making it easy for the Trojans to pull away in this one.
3:33 p.m.
The Trojans are very big on the court right now. Marshall, Watkins, redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby and junior center Clarice Akunwafo are all on the court, looking to exploit the lack of height from Baylor. USC leads 34-24.
3:25 p.m.
A great offensive series extends USC’s lead to 10 points, as Baylor has not scored in over three minutes. Forbes to Watkins to Marshall for the easy lay-in. The Trojans are on an 8-0 run as they lead 32-22 with over three minutes left in the half.
3:22 p.m.
USC has slowly but surely started to build its lead. The Trojans are up 30-22 over the Bears with 4:21 left in the first half.
Watkins leads USC with 12 points, but Forbes is close behind with 9 points. Marshall has been a beast on the boards, already with nine rebounds.
3:18 p.m.
Depth has been a catalyst for the Bears. Nine of Baylor’s 22 points have come from bench players. USC is up 2 with 6:18 to go in the first half, 24-22.
3:12 p.m.
She’s smooth with it! Watkins is up to 10 points, and her mid-range is on point today. USC leads 22-18 with 7:52 until halftime.
3:07 p.m.
It’s a tight one here at Moda Center. The Trojans are up 18-16 after trailing for 6:14 of the 10-minute period and leading for only 1:16. Baylor’s junior guard Jada Walker has 6 points for the Bears, while Watkins leads all scorers with 8 points.
3:05 p.m.
Graduate guard McKenzie Forbes heats up, totaling 5 points on back-to-back possessions. USC leads by 2 with mere seconds left in the first.
3:01 p.m.
Graduate guard Kayla Padilla ends USC’s three-minute scoring drought, knocking down the Trojans’ first 3-pointer of the game to tie the game up at 11 apiece. 2:18 to go in the first quarter.
2:55 p.m.
First timeout on the court and Baylor leads 9-8, but the momentum is in USC’s favor. After starting out down 7-2, the Trojans went on a 6-0 run to bring it back close. There’s 4:55 left in the first quarter and a lot of basketball left to be played.
2:53 p.m.
The Trojans quickly recover from their slow start, riding a 6-0 run anchored by freshman guard JuJu Watkins, who has 6 points.
2:52 p.m.
Sloppy play from the Trojans thus far. Baylor leads 7-2 as USC can’t string a good offensive series together. 6:40 to go in the first quarter.
2:48 p.m.
Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb seems PUMPED UP. She has rarely shown excitement during the NCAA Tournament, as she’s expressed a level of nervousness, but she comes out of the team intros with a huge smile on her face as she high fives her assistant coaches.
2:36 p.m.
Baylor’s first group:
G Jada Walker
G Sarah Andrews
G Aijha Blackwell
F Darianna Littlepage-Buggs
F Bella Fontleroy
2:33 p.m.
USC’s starting five:
G JuJu Watkins
G McKenzie Forbes
G Kayla Padilla
F Kaitlyn Davis
C Rayah Marshall
2:28 p.m.
Just moments away from the anthem and introductions. USC dons white, Baylor sports dark grey. The Trojans are getting some final warmup shots in before the big show starts.
2:15 p.m.
15 minutes until the scheduled tipoff! The Bears and Trojans just returned to their respective locker rooms after shooting around. Both bands are in full effect and fans are piling in.
11:00 a.m.
This is the Trojans’ first Sweet 16 game since 1994, but they aren’t satisfied yet.
Please enjoy the show (through our little updates) because this is bound to be a battle of the best.
