USC vs. Maryland — as it happened
Scoring plays
Win probability
Game flow
Leaders
Points |
Rebounds |
Assists |
Braden Dawson / Daily Trojan file photo
📌 PINNED
Bennett Christofferson from Galen Center
Women’s basketball’s woes continue in loss to No. 12 Maryland
For many people, the new year represents an opportunity for growth: starting fresh with a clean slate and improving oneself in any way possible.
For USC women’s basketball, however, the new year has been quite the opposite.
In their first game as an unranked team since the 2022-23 season, the Trojans (10-7, 2-4 Big Ten) took their fourth straight loss to open 2026, falling 62-55 to No. 12 Maryland (17-2, 5-2). USC led for much of the first half and entered halftime up 28-27, but couldn’t keep it together down the stretch against one of the top teams in the Big Ten.
We’re reporting live from Galen Center. Refresh to see new updates.
Some further reading:
- USC’s season-long struggles have reached a breaking point as they deal with offensive woes and inefficient defense, despite breakout performances from freshman guard Jazzy Davidson and other players.
- The most recent ranked matchup at Galen came against No. 1 UConn, which delivered the then-No. 16 Trojans an “embarrassing” 79-51 loss in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight.
8:00 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Trailing 62-55 with 14 seconds to play, the Trojans have all but lost yet another matchup, which would drop them to four straight losses and a mere 10-7 record. While the season is far from over, USC’s chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid — which seemed like a given at the start of the season — are rapidly slipping away.
7:52 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Dunn scored yet again with a turnaround jumper to tie the game at 54-54, but a trey from Maryland senior guard Yarden Garzon put the Terrapins right back up and forced Gottlieb to call her first timeout tonight.
7:49 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Speaking of Dunn — a stepback 3-pointer gave USC the lead for the first time since the third quarter, though continued foul trouble allowed Maryland to sink three free throws and quickly take the lead back. Dunn made a free throw of her own but missed the other, tying the game up 52-52 with just over three minutes to go.
7:43 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
USC isn’t done yet; back-to-back layups cut the Terrapins’ lead to 49-48, forcing Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese to take her first timeout of the night. As Davidson’s woes persist, Dunn has taken over as the Trojans’ primary source of offense, reaching 9 second-half points on the first of said layups.
7:28 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Jones picked up USC’s ninth foul of the quarter on a Maryland shot with just three seconds left on the clock, sending boos raining down toward the game officials from the Trojan faithful. Time is running out for Gottlieb and company to stay in this game, as they trail 46-42 with 10 minutes to play.
7:25 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Fouls are playing a much larger role in the second half, as both teams have already combined for 16 free-throw attempts in the third quarter after getting just three total in the first 20 minutes. The two most recent of those attempts have come on Maryland buckets, allowing the Terrapins to take a 44-40 lead as we approach the fourth quarter.
7:16 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
After starting the game with 12 of USC’s first 17 points, Davidson has struggled heavily on offense, missing her last 10 attempts from the field. USC cannot afford to have its top scorer remain ice-cold if it wants to stay even with Maryland, which holds a 36-34 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
7:09 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Davidson barely missed a wide-open look at a 3-pointer, but sophomore forward Vivian Iwuchukwu was fouled on a second-chance attempt and sank her two free throws to put the Trojans back up 34-33. Iwuchukwu is in for the first time tonight after staying on the bench for the first half.
7:05 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
After USC stayed on top for most of the first half, the second half has seen the Trojans and Terrapins trading the lead back and forth, with five lead changes in the first two and a half minutes. Maryland currently leads 33-32 after a layup from redshirt junior forward Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu.
6:47 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
USC holds narrow 28-27 lead at halftime
On a first glance at the box score, one would think Maryland would be dominating this game; the Terrapins are shooting over 52%, while USC sits at just 33%. However, after forcing a whopping 13 turnovers in the first half, the Trojans find themselves with a 1-point lead as the game reaches its halfway point.
Freshman guard Jazzy Davidson got off to a blazing-hot start, scoring 12 of USC’s 20 points in the first quarter, but she failed to make a shot in the second quarter and sits at 5-for-13 on the night. Senior guard Kara Dunn and redshirt freshman forward Laura Williams are the only other Trojans with more than one basket, having racked up 6 and 4 points, respectively.
Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad is in a prime position to pick up its most important win of the season, but to do so, USC will need to make some adjustments on offense — the Trojans scored just 8 points in the second quarter — while trying to maintain its defensive rhythm.
6:38 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
The name of the game has been keeping the ball, and Maryland is doing a poor job at it; Samuels grabbed a steal to give Maryland its 10th turnover of the night to USC’s three. The Terrapins are shooting at a much better clip than the Trojans — 50% to 35% — but have taken 12 fewer shots, allowing USC to maintain a slim 26-23 lead.
6:33 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Both teams have cooled down on offense since combining for 36 points in the first quarter, with just four total buckets in the first five minutes of the second. Samuels got on the board with a layup after missing her first three shots of the night, giving the Trojans a 6-point lead that the Terrapins soon cut to 4. USC remains in the driver’s seat up 24-20, but it’s still anybody’s game with 25 minutes still to play.
6:23 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Maryland appeared to be gaining some momentum back with a 5-0 run, but Dunn quickly silenced the few Terrapin fans in the building with a second-chance 3-pointer to put the Trojans up by 6.
After 10 minutes, USC leads 20-16, shooting at a 44% clip in the first quarter — largely propelled by Davidson, who already has five buckets on the night to go along with an assist and a steal.
6:17 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Maryland has already turned the ball over six times in as many minutes, including on a steal by Davidson that she took all the way down the court for a layup. The Terrapins are shooting at a 50% clip but have only taken half as many shots as the Trojans, a trend Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb would love to continue as she seeks a statement win for her program.
A 4-point play from Davidson puts her at 12 points on the day, and USC leads 17-11 with the first quarter winding down.
6:11 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Davidson got the crowd on their feet with a game-tying trey, and Williams quickly followed with a layup to give the Trojans their first lead of the night. As has come to be expected, Davidson is handling much of the USC offense, scoring 7 of its first 9 points on 3-for-4 shooting.
6:05 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Three minutes in, the Terrapin defense is already proving to be an issue, forcing a turnover on USC’s first possession and blocking a Jones 3-point attempt on the next. Maryland is off to an early 7-4 lead after making three of its first four shots.
6:00 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
USC’s starting lineup:
G Londynn Jones
G Jazzy Davidson
G Malia Samuels
G Kara Dunn
F Laura Williams
Sophomore guard Kennedy Smith is notably absent from the lineup for the third straight game, having last played in the Trojans’ loss to UCLA on Jan. 3. One of the few returners from last season’s squad, Smith is one of four players averaging more than 10 points per game, and her 3.7 assists per game are the most on the roster.
In her place, Williams will make the first start of her collegiate career after averaging roughly 10 minutes per game across her first 15. Williams had arguably her best game of the season against Oregon on Jan. 6, racking up nine rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes.
5:40 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
With under 15 minutes until tipoff, the Trojans have taken the court for warmups to the roar of a sparse but passionate crowd. USC is in desperate need of a win, having lost three straight games to start the new year and four straight against top-20 opponents. The Trojans sit at 2-3 in Big Ten play after losing just one conference game all of last season.
5:00 p.m.
Bennett Christofferson, Sports Editor
Trojans eye first win of 2026 against No. 12 Maryland
The 2025-26 season has not been kind to USC women’s basketball; last-second heartbreaks and blowout losses alike have the Trojans sitting at just 10-6, unranked for the first time in almost three years.
Riding a three-game losing streak, USC (10-6, 2-3 Big Ten) is still searching for its first victory of 2026 as it hosts No. 12 Maryland (16-2, 4-2) for a Thursday night battle.
Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad is 3-4 against top-25 competition on the season, though two of those wins came against teams that are no longer ranked. A triumph over the Terrapins would give the Trojans’ resume a much-needed boost, as ESPN’s Charlie Creme projects them as a mere No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
