LOS ANGELES — Thursday evening was yet another display of letting the game go late for the USC Women of Troy as they dropped their second game in a row against the No.12 Maryland Terrapins.
It was a low-scoring affair for the majority of the first half, as both the Terrapins and Women of Troy could muster up a combined 55 points, with USC leading by a slim 28-27 lead headed to the locker room. This is where the concerning factor was present throughout most of the second half, as USC’s shooting percentage was a measly 33% compared to Maryland’s 52%.
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True freshman Jazzy Davidson was producing exponentially offensively, scoring the Women of Troy’s first 11 points of the game, but after that short burst of offense, Davidson would stay quiet for the rest of the contest, finishing the game with just 12 points and shooting 5-23 from the field.
“I thought they closed up gaps a bit more since she was getting to the rim early and mixed up their defense a little bit more,” USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said regarding how Maryland’s defense changed their game plan against Davidson after her hot shooting to begin the game.
The Women of Troy were also without their star defender, Kennedy Smith, whose absence was deeply missed.
“With Kennedy out, the whole team knew we needed to step up in a lot of areas because she is such a versatile player,” Kara Dunn said on how Smith impacts the Women of Troy defensively.
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The second half production on both sides of the court for USC was lackluster once more, as the Trojans failed to score in the final 2 minutes of the game and finished the contest going 1-10 on field goal attempts. Maryland would catch their stride during the crucial final moments and, despite some questionable officiating, the Terrapins would come away with the 62-55 win over the Trojans.
This loss marks the seventh of the season for the Women of Troy and their second game in a row that resulted in a loss, but coach Gottlieb took one positive out of this game, despite the outcome.
“I think the growth of other people during this time is going to make us better down the stretch, and this one is hard. It hurts, but it hurts more when you lay it on the line,” coach Gottlieb said on her team’s effort in the loss.
USC looks forward to this Sunday as the Trojans will host the Purdue Boilermakers.
