As star freshman guard Jazzy Davidson dribbled the ball up the court with seconds remaining in the first half of Sunday’s game against No. 1 University of Connecticut, the game was already all but over. 

But, with a chance to bring the deficit to 20 points before halftime, the rising star and the struggling No. 16 USC women’s basketball team (7-3, 1-0 Big Ten) still hoped to prove they could hang with one of the top teams in the country. A dominant 24-2 Husky run put USC, which held a 9-8 lead early on, out of the game, though a late revival led by sophomore guard Kennedy Smith appeared to revitalize hope for a semi-competitive finish.

That wasn’t to be.

Davidson went up for a shot with three seconds on the clock but got packed by senior forward Serah Williams, falling to the ground, where she would desperately yet unsuccessfully try to get the ball to a teammate before the end of the half. 

By the time UConn (10-0, 2-0 Big East) walked off the court with a crushing 79-51 win, that image of the Trojans and their star player floundering in a big matchup lingered with the sold-out Galen Center crowd.

“It’s embarrassing to get beat on your home court,” Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a postgame news conference. “We’re a team that’s still becoming who we’re going to be, and we’ll get better from this.”

‘Attention to detail wasn’t good enough’

The loss — which only snuck under 30 points due to late efforts from Smith and senior guard Londynn Jones, who combined for 30 of USC’s 51 points — was the Trojans’ third loss to a ranked team in as many games. 

USC has now fallen to No. 3 South Carolina (10-1), 69-52, on Nov. 15; No. 19 Notre Dame (8-2, 1-0 ACC), 61-59, on Nov. 21; and now, No. 1 UConn, raising questions about USC’s ability to compete at the highest level, especially with superstar junior guard JuJu Watkins out for the season due to an injury.

“It’s not for the faint of heart, but that’s how we want it here,” Gottlieb said of USC’s schedule. “We want to be the No. 1 team in the country. We want to get to be a national championship contender, and you don’t get there by shying away from that.”

The Trojans have a lot of recent history with the Huskies, who knocked USC out of back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in the Elite Eight, including a 78-64 loss last season about a week after Watkins’ season-ending ACL injury.

The Trojans did best the Huskies, 72-70, on the road earlier that regular season, with Watkins scoring 25 points to lead the way, elevating USC to the top echelon of collegiate women’s basketball teams; however, recent losses and a lack of a consistent scorer on Watkins’ level has left them with a middling perception as the bulk of Big Ten play looms two weeks away.

“The No. 1 team in the country came in here today, and they’re really good,” Gottlieb said. “We competed, at times. I’m proud of the fight that we had. But I thought our attention to detail wasn’t good enough.”

Smith, Jones lead the way on offense

Smith was by far the highlight for USC, scoring the game’s second-most points with 16 on 5-of-15 shooting while adding a team-high seven rebounds. However, her 1-for-6 from beyond the arc and first-half efficiency struggles held her performance back. 

While Smith is the team’s fourth-highest scorer, averaging 10.4 points per game, her 33% clip from the field and 18% from 3-point land so far this season have left a lot to be desired, though her significant experience with last year’s Elite Eight squad allowed her to lead the way Sunday.

“The little things matter,” Smith said in a postgame news conference. “We’re about to go into Big Ten play soon, and the games are not going to get easier … We just really have to be more aggressive, be more mindful, be more intentional.”

Jones, one of USC’s top scorers despite coming off the bench in all but one game, shined late, drawing nine fouls to shoot 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, contributing to her 14 points. However, her 3-for-10 clip — and especially an 0-for-6 mark from beyond the arc — made Sunday’s performance below average for the UCLA transfer.

Davidson, who has averaged 16 points per game as USC’s clear standout so far this season, showed signs of inconsistency early Sunday, failing to score in the entire first quarter and shooting 1-for-8 from the field in the first half. 

Though a pair of second-half treys elevated her to double-digit points — the only game in which she hasn’t scored at least 10 was against South Carolina — her offensive struggles were key to UConn’s early success. She did contribute defensively, though, adding four blocks, and is quickly developing into one of the best shot-blockers in the country, ranking tied for 11th nationally with 2.5 blocks per game.

Husky graduate guard Azzi Fudd, who scored a game-high 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting, said she took guarding Davidson “really seriously” in her preparation for the game. Gottlieb said teams putting that kind of focus on Davidson in their preparation allows pressure to be off other players, helping the Trojans.

“She takes it on like a competitor,” Gottlieb said of Davidson. “She’s only going to get better from having these experiences this early in her career.”

Junior guard Malia Samuels, who scored 2 points in just 17 minutes of play despite starting the game, has continued to see limited minutes since her late November injury, while USC’s fourth starting guard, senior Kara Dunn, added 5 points on a 2-for-6 clip from the field to go along with a team and season-high five assists.

Husky forwards dominate in the paint

Junior forward Gerda Raulušaityte earned her first start over sophomore forward Vivian Iwuchukwu since Nov. 18, though sophomore forward Dayana Mendes also saw significant minutes Sunday. The trio of forwards that comprises Gottlieb’s frontcourt rotation combined for 2 points on five shots as USC was largely dominated in the paint, getting outrebounded 41-33. 

Both Williams and star Husky sophomore forward Sarah Strong grabbed at least seven boards and shot well from up close, especially early on. Strong, who scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, was one of four Huskies to score double digits alongside Fudd, freshman forward Blanca Quiñonez and junior guard Ashlynn Shade.

The Trojans also committed 20 turnovers, which led to 26 points, compared to 13 by the Huskies.

“They’re a pressure team,” Gottlieb said of UConn. “When we’re comfortable, we’re really good offensively, and when we’re sped up, it gets harder.”

Next up for the Trojans is their second-to-last non-league bout against Cal Poly (2-7, 0-2 Big West), which USC is heavily favored in, Thursday at 7 p.m. at Galen Center.