In the Pac-12 opener for both teams, undefeated UCLA and USC delivered a matchup befitting their top-10 rankings.
The game was the first sellout crowd for a women’s basketball game at Pauley Pavilion and featured six ties and 10 lead changes. The No. 2 Bruins ultimately held home court, winning 71-64 and giving their crosstown rivals their first loss of the season.
UCLA has defeated the Trojans nine times in a row and has beaten four ranked opponents in its 12-0 start to the season. No. 6 USC has split its two contests against top-25 teams but will have plenty more opportunities to beef up its resume in conference play, as the Pac-12 currently has five ranked squads, all in the top 12.
For the Bruins, sophomore guard Londynn Jones led the charge with 21 points and 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts added 15. Trojan guard JuJu Watkins had 27 points and 11 rebounds, while guard McKenzie Forbes put up 23 points.
UCLA improves to 13-0 and USC drops to 12-1.
UCLA flexed its depth
The Bruins had four players score in double figures, and only Charisma Osborne played more than 33 minutes in the victory. Osborne paced the team early, scoring five in the first quarter while playing sterling defense on Watkins, the No. 1 women’s basketball recruit in the Class of 2023. Her backcourt partner
