LOS ANGELES — The last time the USC Women of Troy and UCLA Bruins faced off against one another was back on March 9, when the No.2 ranked Bruins rallied back to beat the No.1 Trojans in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis by a final score of 72-67. A loss that surely shocked the Trojans’ faithful, but looked to bounce back in 2026, as Saturday evening would see the historic rivalry being played out at the Pauley Pavilion.
Unfortunately for USC, the outcome stayed the same, with the Bruins dominating in every aspect of the game. By the final buzzer, the score of 80-46 was displayed at Pauley Pavilion, and the Women of Troy entered the locker room heads down with their fifth loss of the season hanging above their heads.
Advertisement
The Women of Troy got off to a slow start in the first half, with USC shooting just 31% from the floor, compared to UCLA’s impressive 51%. The Bruins’ efficient shooting was more than evident in the first half, with Lauren Betts leading UCLA with 12 first-half points and finishing the game with a team high 18 points on 7-14 shooting and a baker’s dozen of rebounds.
Rebounds also came in bunches for UCLA, out-rebounding the Women of Troy 26-12 in the first half, and three separate Bruins had 5-plus rebounds. In total, the Bruins out-rebounded the Women of Troy 46-26 and outscored USC 42-12 in points in the paint.
UCLA took advantage of USC’s shooting woes as they would end the first half on a 12-0 run and scored their first 4 of 5 field goal attempts to open up the third quarter. The Bruins would continue trending upwards til the end of regulation, with UCLA shooting an impressive 53% from the floor.
On the other side of the coin, the Women of Troy shot a measly 23% from the floor all night and continued to display their unwillingness to compete with their top-4 ranked opponents this season. Including No.4 UCLA, the Trojans have faced No.1 UConn and No. 2 South Carolina and have suffered defeats in all three contests.
Advertisement
“Obviously, this is not where we want to be in a game like this,” USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said on her team’s performance. “Everything from disappointment to embarrassment, but we own it. They were the better team today. They were better by a lot.”
USC will look to bounce back from the lopsided affair as the Women of Troy return to the Galen Center on Tuesday to face off against the 13-3 Oregon Ducks.
