Gamboling along the frontcourt, St. Louis’ 5-foot-5-inch senior guard Kennedy Calhoun was faced with a mismatch against USC’s 6-foot-3-inch graduate forward Kiki Iriafen. She surveyed the court and checked a pass down low to senior center Marcavia Shavers, who stood alone in the paint, prepared to rattle in a quick bucket. 

The downstairs connection narrowed the No. 6 Trojans’ (6-1) lead over St. Louis (3-5) to 1 point Friday afternoon. Looking peeved and pressed for rectification, USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb sat sternly along the Acrisure Arena sidelines with her elbows digging into her knees.

Soon, the first half clock wound down to one minute and 18 seconds. The Trojans hadn’t converted a field goal for over half the second quarter, and sophomore guard JuJu Watkins botched a free throw attempt from the foul stripe. Bracing to bounce back, Gottlieb grasped at anything within reach to reclaim momentum. Gottlieb scoured the bench for a rubber band, gathered her hair and with three deliberate twists, fastened it into a bent bun. 

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Upon the knot’s completion, Gottlieb gave Associate Coach Beth Burns a knowing glance, and like magic, Watkins sunk her second free throw.

USC entered the break up by 5 points and Gottlieb addressed the Billikens’ strategy to take the Trojans out of their comfort zone and into the web of a zone defense.

“We haven’t faced a ton of zone [defense] and so, there were just some technical adjustments there,” said Gottlieb when asked about her midmeet message in a postgame press conference. “Kiki actually demonstrated a post up and how to get the ball up inside because I was fiery about that.”

The Trojans continued on a 27-2 run, and ultimately pulled away with a 104-65 victory. When two minutes and 29 seconds remained in the final frame, senior center Clarice Akunwafo stood at the free throw line accompanied by a fleet of reserves. It was clear then that Gottlieb no longer needed to tie up her team’s oncourt discomfort — her hair elastic vanished. Gottlieb’s quick release of her different do signified that the bun had uplifted her coaching capabilities, decreased distraction or magnified focus.

Although Gottlieb’s temporary hairstyle may not be as iconic as Watkins’ bun, Diana Taurasi’s slickback styles or Alex Morgan’s pre-wrap, it certainly served a purpose. If the bun resurfaces, think of it as comparable to transposed Headband Bron — except, of course, for when LeBron surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. 

Coincidentally, midway through the second quarter of Friday’s game, I faced a chignon query as well. Back in Florida, my buddy and I, in pursuit of mangos, waltzed across a parking lot to the Amish farmers market. As we entered the barn, USC was just beginning to lose its lead when my friend asked me why she hadn’t seen my hair down since I’d returned home. 

She simply caught me post gym on off-wash days, but momentarily, my tidied hair served as a source of tension between us. For my homiest of homies, having my hair up was an effort to keep my guard up; for me, without the floofy framing of my face, there exists a vulnerability in exposure. 

Anyway, we failed to find any ripe fruits, but we did receive free ice cream scoops (I got blueberry cheesecake and my friend opted for cotton candy).

A decade ago, when I played sports, I would toss two, sometimes even three hair ties onto my head. It was unnecessary. But tying up my hair, knowing it was anchored and immobile, was an act of control. When nothing on the court went my way, at least I could dictate and fix the placement of my straggling strands.

For Gottlieb, I suspect putting her hair up was a good starting point to regain authority over her team’s situation. Prior to a play, a coach has the power to set constants. Whether that’s planting positions or picking a ball handler, a framework can be settled before honing in on the variabilities that inevitably arise during a game. Conversely, a coach can design new variables and place constants at bay.

I believe Gottlieb is searching for parity — balance between multiplicity and permutation. She is renowned for her acceptance, celebration and encouragement of individuality, so a brief change in hairstyle for the sake of the game comes as no surprise. Sure, Gottlieb recognizes there is refuge in routine and maturation in repetition, but a recalibration bound by a rubber band is a worthy deviation.

Leila MacKenzie is a junior writing about small things in sports in her column, “Little Things,” which runs every other Tuesday. She is also a sports editor at the Daily Trojan.