For the first time in 10 years, the USC Trojans are champions of the Pac-12.
Despite a relatively quiet game from superstar freshman JuJu Watkins, who sprained the same ankle twice in Friday’s semifinal against UCLA and made just two field goals, the veteran Trojans carried the way for No. 2 USC in a 74-61 win over No. 1 Stanford, as the Trojans won the conference tournament for the second time in program history. They are only the third Pac-12 team to win multiple tournament titles, joining Stanford (15) and Oregon (2).
Fifth-year transfer McKenzie Forbes — named the tournament’s most outstanding player — had a game-high 26 points, including the final score of the game on a steal and score as USC put the finishing touches on a dominant performance from start to finish. The Trojans never trailed after 6-3 in the first quarter, pushing the lead to as many as 16 in the third. They outrebounded the Cardinal by 20, earning their fifth top-10 victory of the season and all but assuring themselves of a No. 1 seed (in a West Coast Portland regional) on Selection Sunday.
TROJANS WIN!!!!! pic.twitter.com/nRyrILGTJZ
— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) March 10, 2024
USC built a seven-point lead in the first quarter, extended it to nine by halftime, and then 16 in the third….
