USC vs. South Carolina — as it happened
Scoring plays
Win probability
Game flow
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Ethan Thai / Daily Trojan
📌 PINNED
Bennett Christofferson & Anna Jordan from Crypto.com Arena; photos by Ethan Thai
Trojans fall 69-52 in inaugural ‘Real SC’ game
The clash between USC and South Carolina to be “The Real SC” is a long, storied battle that will persist for generations to come; for today, however, the Gamecocks have claimed the title.
No. 8 USC women’s basketball (2-1) fell to No. 2 South Carolina (4-0) 69-52 at the inaugural “Real SC” matchup at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night, sealing the debate until the teams meet for the second round of the event next year in South Carolina.
The Trojans managed to keep the game close early on, going into halftime with a mere 2-point deficit, but the Gamecocks opened the second half on a 10-2 run to quickly gain a healthy lead — one they would maintain for the rest of the night.
We’re reporting live from Crypto.com Arena. Refresh to see new updates.
Some further reading:
- USC faces a tall task against a potent South Carolina offense that poses a significant threat despite the absences of several key players.
- The Trojans are hot off a come-from-behind victory at No. 10 NC State, in which they overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit thanks to freshman guard Jazzy Davidson’s heroics.
- The future is looking bright in Los Angeles, as Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb secured her third No. 1 recruit in the past four years with Saniyah Hall officially signing.
8:01 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
South Carolina’s ability to grab offensive rebounds — something the Trojans have struggled with all game — allowed the Gamecocks to take a 63-49 lead, their largest of the night, on a third-chance layup. Two more South Carolina buckets have the score sitting at 67-51, as a USC win looks all but impossible from here on out.
7:53 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
The Trojans simply cannot get anything going on offense, scoring just 4 points so far in the fourth quarter — all from Smith, who leads the team with 12. USC trails 59-49 with just over six minutes to go and needs a serious rally if it wants to have a fighting chance at coming out with a win.
7:43 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
South Carolina continues to show out on both sides of the court, consistently forcing Trojan turnovers while maintaining a healthy lead. After the Gamecocks were called for an offensive foul with seven seconds left in the quarter, USC had a chance to cut the lead to single digits, but Samuels’ layup attempt was no good — South Carolina leads 55-45 heading into the fourth.
7:32 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
After leading the charge in USC’s come-from-behind win against NC State, Davidson once again tried to kick-start a rally, hitting a jumper and assisting Dunn on a three-point play to chip away at South Carolina’s lead.
However, back-to-back buckets by the Gamecocks put the gap back at 11, and they remain in control of this game with a 52-41 lead in the third quarter.
7:25 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
The Trojans came out of the locker room looking confident, but a multitude of Trojan turnovers and an offensive downpour by the Gamecocks suddenly have USC down 47-36 after four minutes. Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb called her second timeout of the night, hoping to stop this game from getting out of hand fast.
7:03 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Trojans, Gamecocks locked in battle for ‘Real SC’ title
While an early 18-8 lead by South Carolina made it look like USC would be in for a long night, the Trojans refused to go down without a fight and trail by just 2 points at halftime, 32-30. The Gamecocks have certainly looked like one of the top teams in the country, but it’s still anybody’s game.
After getting called for two quick fouls in the first quarter, Davidson has spent a decent amount of time on the bench with only 2 points to her name in the first half. Instead, Dunn and Samuels are the leading scorers for USC so far tonight, picking up 7 and 6 points respectively.
Samuels, in particular, has made her shots count when they mattered most; after giving the Trojans their first — and only — lead of the night with a layup in the second quarter, a desperate jumper as time expired found the net to cut the lead to 2 heading into the second half.
6:57 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
A layup from Samuels gave USC its first lead of the night, but South Carolina’s senior center Madina Okot promptly scored a layup of her own to steal the lead back. The Gamecocks called a timeout with 32 seconds left in the first half, clinging on to a 30-28 lead.
6:54 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
What appeared to be a go-ahead 3-pointer from Dunn got wedged between the rim and the backboard, but the Trojans got revenge a minute later with redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams’ first points of the night to tie the game up for the first time since the score was 0-0.
6:46 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Raulušaityte was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound — just the second for USC all night — and promptly sank both of her free throws to cut the lead to 2, the closest the score has been since the start of the game.
The Gamecocks committed four straight turnovers before finally getting a shot to fall, which was answered by a beautiful behind-the-back layup from Samuels to make it a 26-24 game.
6:34 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
After trailing 18-8 early on, the Trojans scored 8 unanswered points to regain some momentum before a bucket by Gamecock sophomore forward Joyce Edwards stopped the mini-rally. South Carolina leads 20-16 after the first quarter, but USC is keeping it close and looks much stronger on both ends of the court than in the opening minutes.
6:21 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Davidson was called for two quick fouls in the first two minutes and headed to the bench, a place the Trojans cannot afford to keep her for long if they want to keep this game competitive.
South Carolina is certainly living up to its No. 2 ranking, starting with an 11-4 run to force an early USC timeout after just four minutes of play.
6:13 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
USC’s starting lineup:
F Gerda Raulušaityte
G Jazzy Davidson
G Kara Dunn
G Malia Samuels
G Kennedy Smith
5:48 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
The stands are packed with two different shades of red as USC and South Carolina are set to tip off in less than 20 minutes. The Trojans took the court for warmups to thunderous applause from a sizable group of USC fans who made the short trip to Crypto.com Arena.
