JuJu Watkins and USC can’t hold off Notre Dame in first loss

The Galen Center crowd buzzed as JuJu Watkins received the opening tip.

It was a sign of USC Women’s Basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s program-rebuilding success that returned the Trojans to a national championship contender — a sign of growing support and interest.

But no. 6 Notre Dame was able to remove hum, and choke no. 3 USC in one 74-61 win Saturday.

“You don’t plan this game because you think everything is going to be a 40-point win,” said Gottlieb, who talked about how she and Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey worked together to pull off the game. “You schedule it because you have an opportunity to have a great crowd and play well and give yourself a signature early-season win.

“Or you’ll be exposed.”

The Trojans, who entered the game averaging 98.3 points at home, albeit against unranked teams, had their shortcomings exposed, shooting just 35.8% from the field and 1-for-13 from beyond the arc.

“We could never wrest control from them,” Gottlieb said. “So we’re just disappointed — a little — in the fourth that we didn’t compete the way we want to compete to keep this game and give ourselves a shot at the end.”

USC (4-1) committed eight of its 21 turnovers in the first quarter to fall into a 10-point deficit. Notre Dame second guard Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and led the game with five steals. Watkins scored 10 points in the third quarter on his way to 24.

The Trojans’ sophomore star tied a season low by shooting 40% from the field on 10-for-25 shooting. Ivey’s scheme to play Fighting Irish junior guard Sonia Citron on Watkins helped force the 6-foot-2 guard into five turnovers.

“It’s kind of hard to take your eyes off it,” Watkins said, zoning in on the box score during the postgame news conference. “Just seeing how many mistakes we made in areas we can improve on.”

USC guard JuJu Watkins shoots over Notre Dame guards Cassandre Prosper (8) and Sonia Citron (11) during the first half Saturday.

(Eric Thayer/Associated Press)

Watkins’ third-quarter surge brought the Trojans within three points, but Notre Dame capitalized on offensive rebounds Cassandre Prosper and two 3-pointers from Olivia Miles to extend the Irish lead to 21 as many of the 7,894 fans in attendance trickled toward the exits.

In that crowd, celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Michael B. Jordan, Jason Sudeikis and the Sparks’ Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby sat courtside to watch the duel between potential NCAA title contenders.

But it was Hidalgo who left Los Angeles as the star on Saturday.

“I came into this game knowing it was going to be a big upset,” Hidalgo said.

Hidalgo and Miles became just the second pair of teammates in the last 25 years to tally 20 points, five rebounds and five assists apiece against an Associated Press top-10 foe.

But the duo did it without having to play against one of USC’s standout freshmen.

USC guard Kennedy Smith, who is averaging 10.3 points as a starter, did not play after undergoing surgery for an undisclosed injury. Gottlieb said Smith would return this season but could not say when.

Kayleigh Heckel replaced Smith in the starting lineup and made the most of her opportunity. Providing bursts of energy chasing balls out of bounds and bullying her waiting in the paint for rebounds, the 5-9 freshman provided versatility that wasn’t in the box. She finished with six points and four rebounds.

“We signed (Heckel) for a reason,” Gottlieb said. “We believe in her. She’s got a really unique talent. She’s so fast, she’s a competitor. It’s a tough situation to be in and get your first start against the Irish with this backcourt, but we have a lot of confidence in her .”

Gottlieb said the Trojans need to improve on running plays, playing in transition and avoiding turnovers as their first Big Ten program approaches. “We need to have better communication on the floor,” she said. “I have to demand better from them and you will see improvements there. I’m sure of that.”

USC will play Seton Hall and Saint Louis in Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert and host California Baptist before opening Big Ten play at No. 23 at Oregon on Dec. 7. Another big non-conference matchup looms at No. 2 in Connecticut on December 21st.