JuJu Watkins has 33 points and 10 rebounds and the third-seeded Trojans outscore the third-seeded Bruins 13-3 in the second overtime to prevail, 80-70, and earn a shot at top-seeded Stanford on Sunday.
It ended, fittingly, with one final body bump, USC’s McKenzie’s Forbes collapsing to the hardwood after a final-second foul from UCLA’s Gabriela Jacquez. Falling unceremoniously, smacking the court again – but with a smile, because there was nothing left but to smile.
The crosstown rivals fought until they couldn’t possibly fight anymore in the desert on Friday night, a classic in the Pac-12 tournament’s final days unfolding in front of the eyes of thumping loyalists and stragglers at MGM Grand. It ended not in a miracle but in a fittingly appropriate double-overtime slog, USC freshman JuJu Watkins somehow recovering from not one but two mid-game exits writhing in pain from an ankle injury and playing every minute of the extra periods on her way to 33 points.
And as Forbes drained her late free throws and the buzzer sounded on an 80-70 USC win, Rayah Marshall snagged a rebound and roared with every decibel left in a tired voice, every fiber left in weary muscles, Kaitlyn Davis and teammates leaping for joy after felling their cross-town rivals once more and proving themselves in the desert.
“I think we’ve shown throughout the year,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said earlier this week, “that we can beat anyone.”
The second-seeded Trojans (25-5) advance to play top-seeded Stanford (27-4) on Sunday afternoon in the tournament title game – one final chance to stamp their imprint on the conference before a run in the NCAA tournament.
After third-seeded UCLA’s quarterfinal victory over Utah on Thursday night, Bruins coach Cori Close said she anticipated the outcome of Friday’s cross-town rematch in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal to hinge on “which team can play to their identity most consistently.” And this is such a fascinating matchup, really, because the Bruins and Trojans – who split their two regular-season meetings – are often drastically ideologically opposed, bulldozing interior fire clashing with flowing perimeter water in a destructive blend of elements.
