Against a scrappy No. 5-seeded Baylor bunch, the No. 1 seed Trojans weren’t expecting a flawless win by any means. 

In a gritty Sweet 16 matchup that saw 11 lead changes, an inefficient shooting night for superstar freshman guard JuJu Watkins and 3-point shooting woes for both teams, the neutral-site meeting was an instant classic. When zeros populated the game clock, USC (29-5, 13-5 Pac-12) came out ahead 74-70 to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1994 and seventh ever.

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Finding a rhythm early was a tall task for the Trojans who found themselves down early in the game. The game was either tied or the Bears (26-8, 12-6 Big 12) led for a large portion of the first quarter, but USC caught a spark in the second to ride into halftime with a 37-31 lead.

“We’ve faced adversity a ton of times,” said junior center Rayah Marshall at the postgame press conference. “If I’m in a dogfight, I would rather be in a dogfight with this team.”

The second half was when things got tense again. Watkins, who missed all three of her long-range attempts in the first half, connected from deep on consecutive possessions almost midway through the third quarter. Watkins’ makes jolted Baylor’s offense into motion as it fought back to take a 4-point lead to begin the fourth quarter.

With the season on the line, the Trojans needed to capitalize on all opportunities down the stretch. In the form of free throws, USC found its formula to slow the game down and put it out of reach. The Trojans shot 10-for-12 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to ice the game and solidify their Elite Eight bid.

It wasn’t all that easy, though. With USC up 4 points with 23 seconds to go, Bears senior guard Sarah Andrews banked in a 3-point prayer to cut the deficit to 1. But that didn’t distract the Trojans from hitting three more free throws courtesy of Watkins and Marshall to put the game out of reach.

“We got popped in that third quarter,” Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said at the postgame press conference. “We came back and regrouped and decided we have to be a really good version of us because Baylor’s coming with everything they have.”

Marshall was also a force on the block, snatching a game-leading 16 rebounds and posting 11 points on 50% shooting en route to her third double-double performance in the last four games.

Watkins might’ve shot an inefficient 8-for-28 from the field, including 2-for-11 from beyond the arc, but she crucially scored at will when it mattered most. The Associated Press All-American scored 30 points for the first time since March 8 and had 9 in the fourth quarter. When Watkins wasn’t sinking baskets, she was retrieving the ball off the cylinder and finding her open teammates, as she tallied six rebounds and four assists. She also made 12 of her 13 free throw tries.

“It really all boils down to the trust that everybody has in me,” Watkins said. “Luckily we came out on top with that one. But we just want to win and whatever it is I can contribute or try to do for the team, I’m gonna do it.”

Graduate guard McKenzie Forbes’ efficiency was unmatched as she recorded a game-leading plus-13 rating with 14 points. Coming off a three-game string of single-digit scoring performances, Forbes now has five consecutive games in double figures.

The Bears’ season might’ve been cut short, but they gave it all they had in their final game of the year. On top of her clutch 3-pointer, Andrews led Baylor with 17 points, including five shots from downtown. Junior guard Jada Walker, who came off a career-high 28-point performance in the Round of 32, was also pivotal for the Bears; Walker had 15 points and helped anchor Baylor’s momentum-shifting series toward the end of the third quarter.

USC will now dive into territory that has been uncharted for 30 years: the Elite Eight. As No. 3-seeded University of Connecticut (32-5, 18-0 Big East) defeated No. 7 seed Duke (22-12, 11-7 ACC) 53-45 on Saturday evening, the Trojans will face the Huskies. USC hasn’t battled UConn since 2003 and has a 0-2 record against the Huskies all time.

“I’m so proud of our team,” Gottlieb said. “We have an incredible group of young people who just care about winning more than anything else.”

With three wins in March Madness, the Trojans are halfway to their championship goal. Amid a 40-year NCAA title drought, defeating UConn will get USC significantly closer to hoisting the trophy once again.

The Trojans will battle the Huskies at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Monday at 6:15 p.m.