On Tuesday night at Galen Center, a light crowd cheered hard for the defense. Any time the Trojans fought off a jump-ball, any time they chased down a loose ball, any time the team quickly transitioned to offense off one of the 18 defensive rebounds, the arena DJ asked the fans to cheer on the hustle.
“DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!”
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As Saint Mary’s (5-4) turned the ball over 29 times, USC (6-2) took advantage of each opportunity it made by cruising to a commanding 79-33 victory over the Gaels. The Trojans flexed on both sides of the court. They held the visiting team to single-digit points in the last three quarters of the game and led by as many as 46 points, never giving up the lead.
Senior Londynn Jones led the Trojans with 17 points while going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
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“We made them look rougher than they are,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s a really good team who played some other Power Four teams really tough and challenged us to get better this week, which we did.”
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The Gaels never stood a chance against the Trojans. After finishing the first quarter up by four points, the USC defense exploded with six steals while forcing nine turnovers and holding Saint Mary’s to four points in the second quarter. Saint Mary’s shot 27% from the field and went 2-of-13 from the three-point line.
Three USC players scored in double figures while contributing on defense as well. After earning her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season, Jazzy Davidson had 14 points, three blocks, six assists and four rebounds. Senior Kara Dunn had 15 points with five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Jones, who came off the bench to lead the team in scoring, added four steals.
The Trojans earned 13 fast break points, quickly moving the ball up the court after defensive stops. They shot 46% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line.
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“We’re making sure that our execution is really good and that we’re giving all of our effort into every single play and making sure that we are getting better at boxing out,” Dunn said. “We’re making sure we’re getting better at moving the ball.”
The Trojans did not take the game lightly, with the bench scoring 33 points and scoring 24 points in two separate quarters. USC aims to maintain its strong execution when it hosts No. 5 Washington on Sunday.
“I think we’ve really made a concerted effort to work and get better,” she said. “It’s not just getting better at jumpers or getting better at a play, it’s mentally saying, ‘Do we need to talk more?'”
USC’s communication was strong throughout Tuesday’s game. Saint Mary’s players felt pressure from two Trojans every time they touched the ball. If a shot was missed, USC took care of the rebound.
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“It’s a huge energy boost,” Dunn said of the dominant performance. “I feel like it brings us together, it connects us.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
