USC outlasts Cal in Lindsay Gottlieb’s return to former school

JuJu Watkins dropped 29 points with no rest to lead the Trojan comeback.

By James Bao

February 4, 2023

Published on Annenberg Media

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Freshman phenom JuJu Watkins doesn’t need any breaks.

She played all 40 minutes to lead the Trojans in a 79-69 comeback win against the Cal Golden Bears on Sunday, completing USC’s first road sweep in the Bay Area since 2001.

The game against Cal was far from just a routine road matchup for USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. It was a return to her former team, where she spent eight seasons from 2011-19 and took the Golden Bears to the Final Four in 2013.

“I thought [Cal] came out with a great gameplan, with great energy, the crowd was terrific. It made me proud to have Cal in my history.” Lindsay Gottlieb

But it wasn’t looking too good for the Trojans in Gottlieb’s return, as the Golden Bears quickly went on a scoring run to start off the game. The Cal big three of graduate guard Ioanna Krimili, junior forward Marta Suarez and graduate guard Leilani McIntosh all scored within the first three minutes.

The Golden Bears’ barrage of 3-pointers from their trio fueled their quick scoring sprees. Kriimli led the charge with three triples, and the team sank six of their 10 total 3-pointers for the game in just the opening period.

The Trojans knew exactly what they had to do after trailing by 11 heading into the second quarter – find Watkins.

Watkins, held to a mere two points in the first ten minutes, erupted just when the Bears thought they had her contained. The nation’s second-leading scorer reminded everyone why she’s so dangerous.

The talented guard weaved through defenders and found the bottom of the net repeatedly. Her 14 points, combined with graduate guard McKenzie Forbes’ six points, narrowed an 11-point deficit to two by halftime.

“I know everyone’s going to talk about Ju’s 51,” Gottlieb said. “But I was as impressed with today’s performance, as she made every right read and a million great decisions.”

A full-court defense from the Trojans picked up the intensity, and it became evident that the Golden Bears weren’t ready for the physicality. They committed five of their 14 total turnovers in the second quarter.

Graduate guard Kayla Padilla shined in the third and shifted the momentum to the Trojans’ way. She converted two shots from deep, one of which was an and-one that translated into a five-point play after Watkins made a jumper off of the missed free throw.

Despite hot hands, the odds were still against USC, which trailed 61-58 after three quarters. The Trojans entered Sunday 0-4 this season when behind to start the final period.

It took a team effort to beat the curse. With the Golden Bears throwing their full house onto Watkins whenever she touched the ball, other Trojans opened up and Watkins found them. Forbes and Watkins both finished with a game-high five assists.

“We had fight. I thought we had contributions from everyone.” Lindsay Gottlieb

Cal constantly tried to channel Watkins to her weaker side, but that allowed her to drive to the basket for either an easy dish to junior center Rayah Marshall or a layup.

Watkins had yet another impressive outing, racking up a game-high 29 points, four rebounds and five assists.

The Trojans took a two-possession lead with one minute left in the game as the Bears desperately looked for opportunities. Missing their final attempts, Cal resorted to late-game fouling; free throws from Forbes and senior guard Kayla Williams sealed the comeback win.

“We’re happy to get a Bay sweep — it’s really significant for me and the team,” Gottlieb said.

USC (16-4, 6-4 Pac-12) will look to continue its win streak against Arizona State on Friday at 7 p.m. at Galen Center.