On Saturday night, the USC women’s basketball team suffered its first defeat of the 2025-2026 season, falling 69-52 to No. 2 South Carolina. The Trojans kept it close in the first half, before the Gamecocks pulled away over the final 20 minutes.
Following the loss, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb issued a message:
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“A great atmosphere, games we want to be a part of,” Gottlieb said. “We want these games to teach us where we need to be and where we need to get to. Credit South Carolina, they did a lot of things well.
“I saw things from our team I really liked. Not yet where we need to be but this game will help us get there.”
South Carolina is a really good team, so there is certainly no shame in USC losing to them, especially without Juju Watkins. While the Women of Troy earned an impressive victory over North Carolina State last week, it was always going to be difficult to compete with the top teams in the country this season.
The focus for USC this year, rather, should be on the development of its talented young players like Kennedy Smith and Jazzy Davidson. If the Trojans can do that, they will be in great position to contend for a national championship when Watkins returns to the court next year.
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USC is back in action on Tuesday night when Portland comes to Galen Center. The Women of Troy will then have another opportunity against a ranked opponent on Friday when they visit No. 24 Notre Dame.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lindsay Gottlieb, USC women’s basketball try to respond after loss
