A frustrating road trip finally comes to an end. USC fell short to Colorado 63-59 Sunday afternoon inside CU Events Center for their second straight loss — marking only the third defeat for the Trojans.

Including Sunday’s matchup, No. 11 USC faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 16 Utah and No. 3 Colorado in succession. A statement win against the Trojans’ Los Angeles counterparts was followed by a 20-point blowout against Utah Friday night. 

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“We didn’t love our effort [against Utah],” said Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “This was probably the toughest three-game stretch anyone will have.”

Freshman phenom guard JuJu Watkins got off to a fast start by scoring 12 of the Trojans’ first 18 points. Watkins is currently second in the nation in points per game at 26.5. Despite Watkins’ hot shooting, USC led by 18-14 after the first quarter.  

Early in the second quarter, USC took a 7-point lead, thanks to a 3-pointer by redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Bigby — who ended the game with 14 points, one point shy of her season high. In the second quarter, Bigby secured two crucial offensive rebounds leading to second-chance opportunities for the Trojans.

Colorado responded right back and delivered a punch of their own as a 6-0 run in the middle of the second helped give the Buffs a 32-30 lead going into the half.

Charged by Watkins and graduate guard McKenzie Forbes, the third quarter started on an 8-0 USC run. Forbes nailed a pair of threes joining Bigby and Watkins in double-digits scoring at the game’s finish. The trio accounted for 45 of the Trojans’ 59 points. 

“The confidence level should grow for us as we are put in these situations,” Gottlieb said. “I think other people did step up when they had to.”

A major blow for USC came with 5:50 remaining in the fourth, when Watkins fouled out, her first time fouling out in a college game. Losing Watkins was a major blow, as the Trojans felt the absence of her scoring and playmaking in the final stretch. The nation’s second-leading scorer was watching on the bench with the game in its waning moments.

“I didn’t think the whistle went particularly our way,” Gottlieb said. “The team rallied. We haven’t played too many minutes without [Watkins]. I thought the others did a good job giving us a chance to win against a really good team on the road.”

Both teams continued to trade field goals going into the fourth quarter. And with just over a minute remaining with the game tied at 56 apiece, Colorado’s junior center Aaronette Vonleh attacked the boards, wrestling down an offensive rebound and eventually finishing in traffic to give the Buffaloes a narrow lead. 

A 3-point heave by graduate guard Kayla Padilla got USC within one at the 15-second mark. Down by two, the Trojans had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Forbes missed a running, wide-open layup, sealing Colorado’s victory.

Fatigue was surely a factor late in the game. Bigby, Forbes and Padilla finished the game nearly by going the distance, each playing 35, 35 and 37 minutes, respectively.

“The way we came out against a really good team on a tough road trip, we should be disappointed that we didn’t win but not discouraged,” Gottlieb said. “It was a great basketball game.”

USC’s defense played a brilliant game, holding Colorado’s 21st highest-scoring offense to just 63 points — its second-lowest game total this year. The Trojans’ poor rebounding proved to be costly. USC struggled to attack the boards, finishing with 27 total and only 3 offensive rebounds — both season lows.

The Trojans will look to bounce back Friday when they return to Galen Center and face the Washington State Cougars at 7 p.m.