The last time USC and UCLA met at Galen Center on Feb. 13, 2025, the Trojans knocked off the then-No. 1 Bruins, delivering a clear message to the rest of the country: USC was the premier women’s basketball team in Los Angeles.

Sunday afternoon, more than a year later, the crosstown rivals returned to the same building to finish off the 2025–26 regular season — and the message couldn’t have been any more different.

No. 2 UCLA (28-1, 18-0 Big Ten) spoiled the Trojans’ (17-12, 9-9) Senior Day festivities with a dominant 73-50 victory, in which the Bruins never trailed and led by as many as 29 points. The loss marked USC’s third straight to end the regular season, as well as its third straight against its rivals.

“Not the outcome, obviously, that we wanted, but I thought our team really battled,” Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a postgame news conference. “I thought we were in the fight.”

Gottlieb also reaffirmed her belief in USC being an “NCAA Tournament team” despite the loss. While an upset victory would have essentially guaranteed the Trojans a tournament bid, they remain comfortably in the projected field, with ESPN’s Charlie Creme slotting them in as a No. 8 seed following Sunday’s matchup. Barring a significant shakeup across the league, USC is unlikely to fall out of the picture before Selection Sunday.

Betts, Bruins own the glass

The Bruins were firing on all cylinders from the game’s opening, racking up a double-digit lead after less than five minutes and never allowing the Trojans to draw much closer. Outside of an 11-2 run from USC to start the second half, UCLA controlled the pace for nearly all 40 minutes, proving to be a vastly more physical — and successful — squad than its opponent.

Defensively, the Trojans put a visible target on the back of senior center Lauren Betts, double-teaming the Bruins’ star nearly every time she touched the ball. The plan certainly limited Betts from scoring — her 5 points were her fewest in more than two years — but did little to stifle another key aspect of her game: rebounding.

Betts pioneered an all-out assault on the glass for UCLA, bringing in nine offensive boards and 15 total. As a team, the Bruins outrebounded USC 47 to 22 — including a 22-to-5 gap on the offensive end, allowing them to rack up 14 second-chance points to the Trojans’ 3.

“[We need to] box out,” Gottlieb said of the disparity in rebounds. “Box out more physically. Rip the ball.”

USC’s emphasis on Betts allowed the rest of UCLA’s stars to shine, as its other four starters all scored in the double digits. Graduate guard Charlisse Leger-Walker led the way with a 20-point performance, making four of the Bruins’ nine 3-pointers.

In contrast, the Trojans struggled heavily from deep on a 3-for-19 clip, despite mostly keeping pace on overall efficiency at 39% to UCLA’s 41%. Sunday marked the fifth time this season USC has shot under 16% on 3-point attempts.

Familiar faces lead on offense

Pulling off the upset would have been a tall task no matter what, but the Trojans’ chances took a serious hit when freshman guard Jazzy Davidson earned her third foul early in the second quarter, forcing Gottlieb to keep her on the bench for the rest of the half. In the eight minutes Davidson was out of the game, the Bruins’ lead ballooned from 8 points to 18.

Despite playing just 27 minutes, her fewest in more than three months, Davidson still led USC with 12 points, though on an inefficient 4-for-13 clip. The star freshman failed to make an assist for the first time in her collegiate career — indicative of a greater problem for the Trojans, who had a season-low nine assists in total.

Regardless of her performance Sunday, however, Gottlieb was effusive in her praise of Davidson’s stellar freshman season.

“If we said ‘best freshman in the country,’ it wouldn’t be enough, because she’s one of the best players in the country,” Gottlieb said of Davidson. “She’s a wonderful human. She’s a competitor. She wants to win. She wants to do whatever it takes.”

Sophomore guard Kennedy Smith was close behind Davidson with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting, marking the seventh time in eight games she’s made at least 50% of her attempts. Smith was also USC’s only player to pick up multiple rebounds and assists, with two each.