It wasn’t the kind of start to a season you would expect from a team hoping to become the “premier women’s basketball program in the country” — a goal USC women’s basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb repeated multiple times in the preseason.

The No. 18 Trojans (1-0) had lost the lead midway through the first quarter, 13-12, against a mid-tier Mountain West program in New Mexico State University (0-1) on Tuesday night at Galen Center. The star recruit of Gottlieb’s class, freshman guard Jazzy Davidson, had already turned the ball over three times and was 0-for-2 from 3-point land — notably a strength of her game.

Then, a former crosstown rival in senior guard Londynn Jones checked into the game, now playing for the cardinal and gold after transferring from UCLA in April. Soon after coming off the bench, Jones hit a second-chance layup and a mid-range jumpshot to put the Trojans back up comfortably, kick-starting a 41-point night for the bench that led USC to an 87-48 season-opening win.

“That didn’t surprise me one bit,” Gottlieb said of the bench’s performance in a postgame news conference. “This may be a team where the starters change up or who’s finishing, and I think we need a collective effort. That’s just how we’re going to play.”

Jones, in particular, was a highlight offensively for USC, shooting 6-for-11 from the field for a team-high 16 points while picking up three assists and two steals in 18 minutes of play — the fifth most, behind four of the five starters. Though she is known for her 3-point prowess, Jones went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, adding most of her points in the paint — something Gottlieb said she knew Jones could do since they first met when the guard was around 12 years old.

“Something that I work on a lot is just trying to make the right read and just take what the defense is giving me,” Jones said in a postgame news conference. “Obviously, I can shoot, but I think [I am] able to do so much more.”

While it was just her first game with USC, Jones said after the game that she and her family “don’t wear blue anymore,” emphasizing her commitment to her new Los Angeles school.

Sophomore guard Dayana Mendes also performed well off the bench in 18 minutes, making all three of her 3-point attempts for 9 points to go along with five rebounds.

Though it wasn’t exactly an ideal debut for Davidson, a four-time Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year in high school, her play improved throughout the game as she finished with the second-most points on the team with 14, thanks in part to her six free throws. She also didn’t surrender another turnover after her three to start the game.

“It’s surreal playing in my first college game, so [I’m] just super excited,” Davidson said in a postgame news conference. “A little nervous at first, but I got over it. My teammates and coaches reminding me to slow down and stay in the moment really helped.”

Davidson’s efficiency, especially from beyond the arc, continued to be an issue throughout her team-high 31 minutes of play. She shot just 25% from the field on 16 attempts and missed all seven of her 3-point attempts.

“I don’t think she’ll ever miss that many threes again. She’s a great 3-point shooter. It was about catching her rhythm,” Gottlieb said of Davidson. “It’s a process, and we have total confidence in the way that she can impact winning, and we know shots will fall.”

One of USC’s only returning stars from last season, sophomore guard Kennedy Smith, also struggled with efficiency against the Aggies, shooting just 2-of-10 from the field, though her 6-for-7 mark from the free-throw line aided her to 11 points. In total, the Trojans took 39 free throws to New Mexico State’s 8.

Starting senior guard Kara Dunn was a standout Tuesday, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and shooting an efficient 4-for-9 with two 3-pointers for 12 points in her 25 minutes. 

Though she played by far the least of the starters at just 14 minutes and 5 points, sophomore forward Vivian Iwuchukwu still stood out to Gottlieb in her first collegiate start. After recovering from an injury during much of her freshman year, Gottlieb said Iwuchukwu has still impressed to earn a spot in what she called a “committee” of forwards that will split time this season.

“Viv had a terrific offseason,” Gottlieb said. “Just a lot of work.”

While the Trojans struggled with efficiency, their defense held strong, keeping the Aggies to a field goal percentage of just over 40%. However, one Aggie they couldn’t keep down was senior forward Lucía Yenes, who scored over half of New Mexico State’s points with 27 on 11-of-19 shooting while grabbing three blocks and two steals. 

Gottlieb attributed some of the defensive success to running a zone defense, despite playing mostly man last year, which she said gives them more options and plays better into the team’s length.

“We put a ton of pressure on the ball; people need to prepare for that,” Gottlieb said. “But if they also need to prepare for a zone, that’s helpful.” 

The Trojans especially dominated in the fourth quarter, where they shot 64% from the field and outscored the Aggies 22-9, contributing to their near-40-point margin of victory by game’s end.

“We have depth, and I do think we have a conditioning factor that should give us an edge later in games,” Gottlieb said. “When other teams wear down, hopefully things get easier for us. That’s the idea.”

After the strong finish in their season opener, the Trojans will hope to take their momentum into an early road test against No. 9 NC State (1-0) on Sunday at noon at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dante Ling contributed to this report.