On March 24, the college basketball world was shaken when USC guard and one of the best players in the nation, JuJu Watkins, went down in a heap of pain. The Galen Center went quiet as she was taken off the floor and the Trojans, in that moment, had to decide either to push through the injury or have their hopes of a National Championship end.
Five days later, the Trojans, up two points with 32.3 seconds left and an Elite Eight berth on the line, had the chance to put the game away from the free-throw line.
A year ago, freshman guard Avery Howell was playing at the Ford Idaho Center and donning the Boise Brave jersey across her chest. Now, with the same no. 23 on her jersey, she stepped up to the line this time in the biggest moment of her career.
Howell bounced the ball as the nearly sold-out Spokane Arena got to its feet. Built for the moment, she drained both free throws, giving her 18 points in the game and securing a 67-61 victory for the Trojans. They had booked a place in the Elite Eight for the second straight year against UConn, which will tip off from Spokane Arena on Monday, March 31, at 6 p.m.
Howell, who has had a more increased role since the injury, credits the team preparation for the hard-fought victory over the Wildcats.
“It falls back to our preparation that we’ve done all season; the experiences we are getting through practice and the game situations we’ve been in. I think that carries over to these moments,” Howell said. “We’re so deep as a team that everyone plays a valuable role, that if someone else is not hitting, we have someone to rely on.”
On the back of the talented freshman guard duo Kennedy Smith and Howell who combined for 37 points, Johnson led USC with 19 points.
Through the adversity the Trojans have faced over the last week, their goal remains the same: to lift a national championship trophy next Sunday.
“We still have a common goal of winning a national championship. With JuJu down, it was a bit of adversity that we had to face,” Smith said. “Having her in our presence, we talked to her before the game, she was still rooting us on. We’re just keeping her in our hearts and playing for her as well as for each other.”
The Trojans got off to a hot start to begin the game and were controlling the pace. Behind a three-pointer in the closing seconds by Howell, they took a 16-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Wildcats did not go away, beginning the quarter on a 6-0 run and closing the gap from there. The Trojans and Wildcats went back and forth the rest of the quarter before the Trojans landed the final punch of the half.
Freshman guard Kayleigh Heckel drove to her right, put the ball behind her back, turned the corner and got a layup. Going through traffic, she gave the Trojans some momentum going into the second half as they trailed 30-28.
USC came out wanting to pull away in the third quarter and halfway through, down by four, the Trojans’ defensive intensity rose. The Trojans forced four Wildcat turnovers and went on a 12-0 run to put them up 46-39.
The Wildcats finished the quarter strong and pulled within three as they trailed the no. 1 seed 48-45 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans, behind some clutch shooting and defensive stops, were able to get the hard-earned victory.
The Trojans landed the best recruiting class in the country this summer, signing seven true freshmen. Three of those seven helped the Trojans get to the Elite Eight.
“We recruited this group to play. Some of them played more than others, but we’ve had a belief in what the team could do,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “We recruited winners. These guys came here with the ultimate goal of being in big-time games with championships on the line.”
The Trojans’ underclassmen were terrific, and on the other side, the Wildcats’ seniors Serena Sundell and Ayoka Lee were the backbone of the Wildcats’ performance. Sundell led all scorers with 22 points, 10/11 from the free-throw line. Lee came on late and was a huge spark. She finished her last college game with 12 points and 10 rebounds to put an end to their terrific Wildcat career. Both spoke about their careers coming to an end.
“I credit my coaching staff and teammates for helping me grow over my four years,” Sundell said. “I’m a much better player than the 18-year-old that stepped on campus, credit to the people around me. I’m grateful to be a Wildcat.”
“It means a lot to have a coach that continued to believe in me through everything I’ve been through, and to have teammates like Serena who have just been game changers from the minute I stepped on campus. Not everyone gets to have a college career like that, so I’m extremely grateful,” Lee said.
While the Wildcats’ journey is over, the Trojans fight on and will meet a familiar opponent in the Elite Eight, the no. 2 seed UConn Huskies. The Huskies ended the Trojans’ season in the Elite Eight last year, and a red-hot Paige Buckers and more look to do the same thing this time.
The Trojans, however, defeated the Huskies on Dec. 21 and are looking to go 2-0 and avenge their loss last season.
“They’re a great team. It’s going to be a tough game. We are going to enjoy this one right now, then get back to work tomorrow and focus on what we need to do to be the best we can be on Monday,” Howell said.