Despite an impressive second-half comeback effort, No. 4 UConn suffered its second loss of the season at the hands of No. 7 USC on Saturday night in Hartford. JuJu Watkins led the Trojans to a 72-70 victory with 25 points.
That was Watkins' 11th 20-point game of the season, but with five seconds remaining, she made a mistake that almost brought the game to overtime. UConn freshman Sarah Strong tried tie the game with a 3-point shot attempt, but Watkins hit her arm and sent her to the free throw line.
Strong made the first attempt but missed the next two. UConn star Paige Bueckers got the rebound off the final free throw and sent the ball back to Strong, who missed another 3-pointer from well beyond the arc.
Although USC led by as many as 18 points early in the third quarter, the Huskies showed a lot of fight in a game that could have ended much differently. Here are some takeaways:
USC's Kennedy Smith, UConn's Azzi Fudd returned just in time
Kennedy Smith had been out for a month because of an unidentified surgical procedure. Despite missing seven games, she was back in the Trojans' starting lineup on Saturday. She contributed six points and two rebounds in 12 minutes, while also making some solid defensive plays.
Fudd, meanwhile, returned from a minor knee sprain she suffered against Louisville on Dec. 7. She came off the bench on Saturday while Ashlynn Shade took the starting spot they have been sharing all season. Fudd contributed one assist and a block in eight minutes, but missed all four of her shot attempts.
UConn's offensive struggles in big games continue
UConn's first loss of the season happened at the hands of Notre Dame on Dec. 12, and some of the offensive issues the Huskies saw in that game repeated on Saturday. Their ball movement wasn't great in the first two quarters against USC, and neither was their 3-point shooting.
The Huskies set a program record for made 3-pointers with 20 in their win over Iowa State earlier this week, but they went 6 for 23 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
"I think we are a good 3-point shooting team, but I can't keep saying that," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "We have to prove it, and not just one night. We gotta do it more than one night."
USC and Notre Dame are both quick and athletic teams, and UConn's offense has been inconsistent all season. The Huskies did find a better rhythm in the second half against USC, but their slow start proved costly.
"I'm really proud of the team that came out of the locker room to play in the second half," Auriemma said. "I'm kind of disappointed and not at all happy with the team that came out to start the game. We gotta figure out what the difference is between those two teams."
The one consistent thing for the Huskies has been contributions from Bueckers and Strong, who put up 22 points each on Saturday. Strong had a double-double with 13 rebounds.
UConn's frontcourt still quiet
Sarah Strong plays a key role for the Huskies, but the rest of the team's frontcourt is still developing. Auriemma liked starting forward Ice Brady's contributions against Iowa State, even if they didn't show up on the stat sheet. However, she had a very quiet game against USC with zero points, two rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes.
Redshirt freshman center Jana El Alfy registered six minutes off the bench, recording two points, three rebounds and one assist.
"They have to be able to make a 15-footer. They have to be able to keep the ball out of the lane," Auriemma said. "If we are playing five against four because we can't get any offense out of them, and we need offense, it's tough to play them... I know they are both young and I know Jana is a freshman. But if we can find a way to get some consistency where we feel comfortable throwing the ball on the lane and we think you can get a basket, then that takes a lot of pressure off our guards."
USC needs to limit turnovers
Taking better care of the ball might be at the top of the list of things to clean up for USC. Lindsay Gottlieb's squad is averaging 15.5 turnovers per game this season, and small mistakes could have big consequences in close games like Saturday's.
The Trojans had seven turnovers in the first half, but fortunately for them UConn only scored two points off them. However, the second half got a little messier. By the end of the night, the Trojans had allowed UConn 17 points off 18 turnovers.