On Saturday, the USC women’s basketball team defeated Clemson 71-67 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, the Trojans advanced to the second round of the tournament for the third consecutive year.
Of course, each of the past two years, USC was led by superstar Juju Watkins. With Watkins out this season, however, a new star stepped up for the Women of Troy: freshman Jazzy Davidson.
Advertisement
Playing in her first ever NCAA Tournament game, Davidson shined in the spotlight, recording 31 points—including two massive three-pointers in overtime—six rebounds, and five assists. Per USC, she became the first freshman to post such numbers in her NCAA Tournament debut in the past 25 years. She is also just the fifth Trojan (of any year) to record 20 or more points, five or more rebounds, and five or more assists in a tournament game, joining Cynthia Cooper, Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Watkins.
Up next for Davidson and USC is a date with No. 1 seed South Carolina on Monday night. Given the talent level of the opponent, the Trojans will need another massive performance from their freshman star if they want to have any chance of pulling off the upset.
With very few other major sporting events on at the same time, lots of eyes will be on Davidson and USC Monday night. It will be an incredible opportunity for her to put the country on notice and establish herself as the sport’s next legitimate superstar.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’ basketball’s Jazzy Davidson shines in NCAA Tournament debut
