Grace Sullivan’s pregame 1,000 career-point recognition did little to inspire Northwestern women’s basketball (8-15, 2-10 BIG) as it fell to USC (14-9, 6-6 BIG) 83-65. The Trojans took control of the game from the tip and never looked back, with Northwestern’s only lead coming at 4-2 in the first.
Sullivan scored 24 points on 10-17 shooting and Harter added 20 points and four assists. Nobody else on the team scored more than six as the ‘Cats shot 42% from the field and 19% from three on the night. Turnovers continued to be a problem, Northwestern having 16, and the ‘Cats once again lost the rebounding battle 31-40.
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The Trojans dominated via their balanced attack, with four players in double digits. Jazzy Davidson led the way with 21 points and 6 assists, and Kara Dunn added 18 points and six rebounds. USC made ten threes on the night and shot 47% from the field.
Laura Williams scored the first points of the game for USC, grabbing her own miss and putting in a layup close to the rim as Northwestern’s opening 2-3 zone look surrendered several uncontested looks for the Trojans in the early stages of the game. However, Sullivan responded with four points, a layup and a midrange jumper to get the Wildcat offense started. Davidson then netted two three-pointers for the Trojans, followed by a steal and a converted-and-one opportunity to give Davidson nine points and USC an 11-4 early on.
The Trojan defensive pressure continued to give Northwestern’s guards major problems in the opening minutes of the game as Kennedy Smith logged a steal and score of her own. Yet, after Thomas free throws, a transition layup by Harter and then a three from Harter had Northwestern only trailing 14-11 heading into a timeout with 4:43 remaining.
Malia Samuels knocked down two free throws for USC following the timeout and a Northwestern turnover on one end led to a Smith jumper on the other. A defensive switch to man-to-man did nothing for the ‘Cats as Smith made another open jumper to extend the Trojan lead to nine. A floater by Caroline Lau evoked large cheers from the Wildcat crowd, yet Kara Dunn’s corner three-pointer silenced the arena immediately, NU trailing 23-13. Dunn later swished another long ball, the Trojans’ fourth of the first quarter, as their hot-shooting start continued. Harter and Davidson exchanged buckets to end the quarter, USC leading 28-16.
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Northwestern opened the second quarter looking to gain control of the paint, as a Tate Lash putback layup and a Sullivan mid-range jumper gave the ‘Cats some early momentum. USC’s Dunn and Northwestern’s Harter traded a pair of made free throws, holding the Trojan lead at eight. NU’s defense continued to struggle mightily as they allowed a string of open shots, USC converting three of them, but the offense responded with a Daija Turner tip-in. With 5:57 remaining in the quarter, NU trailed 36-24.
Dayana Mendes got on the board for the Trojans via a wing three-pointer, but USC’s inability to capitalize on consecutive Wildcat turnovers and a Harter mid-range jumper kept the Trojan lead at 13. However, the resulting 7-0 USC run, fueled by two Williams field goals, quickly pushed the ‘Cats’ deficit to 20. Sullivan nailed a fadeaway baseline jumper, looking to get going on the night, but a Londynn Jones Trojan-triple saw the scoreboard read 49-28 with 1:01 left in the half. Dunn scored four more points and USC led 53-28 at the break.
Harter scored 11 points in the first half and Sullivan contributed eight for the ‘Cats. Dunn and Davidson led the way for the Trojans, with 13 and 11 points, respectively. But their balanced attack, with all five starters above five points, gave them the 25-point lead.
Both teams started the second half cold, but once again Davidson ignited the Trojan offense with a wrap-around layup to open the scoring. Harter continued where she left off in the first half, knocking down her second three of the night for the ‘Cats. Yet, Davidson responded by gliding through the Northwestern full-court press and converting an and-one opportunity. Kat Righeimer’s first points of the game did nothing to slow the Trojans, as they led 61-36 with 5:25 remaining in the third.
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Davidson continued to carry the load offensively for USC, converting yet another and-one to push her point total to 19, as NU’s offense struggled to keep up. Sullivan and Lash made shots of their own but the Trojans never lost their three-point touch, Smith netting her third of the night as USC led 67-45 at the end of the third quarter.
The ‘Cats showed some signs of fight early in the fourth as Lau and Harter each made shots and their defense forced a shot clock violation. Righeimer contributed a three for the ‘Cats and Sullivan pushed her point total to 19, but buckets by Jones and Smith kept USC’s lead at 74-56 with 5:42 remaining.
Sullivan began to establish herself down the stretch of the fourth quarter, but NU’s defensive struggles prevented any comeback attempt. USC’s guards easily dissected the Northwestern press and the ‘Cats showed poor ball security in the closing minutes. USC coasted its way to a 83-65 victory.
Northwestern looks to snap its five-game losing streak inside the Welsh against No. 8 Michigan on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. CST.
