Story by
USC women’s basketball knocked out early in Big Ten Tournament
- Story by
- USC women’s basketball knocked out early in Big Ten Tournament
USC women's basketball Jazzy Davidson
INDIANAPOLIS — So much for that rematch with UCLA women's basketball .
USC now has far bigger worries after what happened Thursday inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Star freshman Jazzy Davidson walked off the court holding her right shoulder midway through the first quarter of her team's opener in the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, and things only deteriorated from there for the Trojans.
USC star freshman Jazzy Davidson left the game with an injury and wasn't effective after she returned. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) Getty Images
Davidson returned after a brief absence but never found a rhythm. Neither did her team, a disjointed offensive performance dooming ninth-seeded USC during a 76-64 loss to eighth-seeded Washington.
Advertisement
Missing 10 of her first 11 shots, Davidson finished with eight points on 2-for-13 shooting before barely playing in the fourth quarter with the Huskies leading by as many as 20 points. The Trojans shot 31%.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb has previously suggested her team is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but one has to wonder. The Trojans (17-13) have lost four consecutive games and were thoroughly outclassed by the Huskies (21-9).
Now it's Washington, and not USC, that will get to face top-seeded UCLA in a quarterfinal Friday.
What it means
Looking to remove any smidgen of doubt about its NCAA Tournament chances, the Trojans allowed more room for uncertainty.
Advertisement
They entered the day No. 22 in the NET rankings, which should make them feel confident but failing to make the quarterfinal of their conference tournament is a bit concerning.
USC's Kara Dunn and her teammates will await the NCAA Tournament fate. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images)Iowa v USC Getty Images
Turning point
Both teams were struggling to score in the game's early going when Davidson got tangled up with an opposing player and hurt her shoulder.
Officials reviewed the play for an unobserved flagrant-1 foul before ruling that the contact was incidental. Davidson returned after a few minutes, but the Trojans never built any momentum on offense.
MVP
This had to feel extra special for Avery Howell.
The Washington sophomore guard, who spent her freshman season at USC, was a force against her former team with 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting to go with nine rebounds and three assists.
Up next
Early losers one year after advancing to the Big Ten Tournament championship game, the Trojans now have more than a week to contemplate their postseason fate.
