Ninth-seeded USC brought all the energy and intensity you would want from a young team in March, and it paid off with a gutsy 71-67 overtime win against No. 8 Clemson in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.
Jazzy Davidson’s heroics were the difference as she hit back-to-back three-pointers in overtime to give USC the lead. Kara Dunn iced the game with two clutch free throws. Davidson finished with an impressive 31 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Dunn contributed 22 points and four rebounds.
USC will face No. 1 South Carolina in the second round on Monday.
For Clemson, Taylor Johnson-Matthews led the way with 16 points, followed by Morgan Lee with 12 points, Raven Thompson with 11, and Demeara Hinds scoring 10 points.
The game featured arguably the most chaotic finish of the tournament thus far. With just under a minute remaining, Davidson dove for a steal, prompting USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb to call a timeout as a fast break was developing.
However, the timeout didn’t doom the Trojans. Dunn came out aggressively, attacked the basket, made a layup, and earned a foul. Her three-point play put USC up 61-59 with 53 seconds left.
Clemson responded by drawing a foul and hitting two free throws to tie the game. They then forced a USC travel. With 35 seconds left in a 61-61 tie, Clemson struggled to get a good shot off. Davidson forced a jump ball, and then Gerda Raulusaityte forced another tie-up, giving the ball back to USC with less than 10 seconds remaining.
But Clemson wasn’t finished; they forced another jump ball. With four seconds left, Clemson’s Mia Moore rushed down the court, hit a wild shot, and seemingly drew a foul at the buzzer. However, referees reviewed the play and waved off the basket and foul, ruling both occurred after time expired, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, Clemson tried to pull away with Moore hitting a free throw before Rachel Rose found an open lane to the basket, putting the Tigers up 64-61. Davidson then answered with a personal 6-0 run, and Clemson couldn’t recover despite a late three-pointer from Morgan Lee that made it a one-possession game.
Davidson, who was playing for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury in the Big Ten tournament, struggled early. She missed her first four shots while Clemson held most of the lead thanks to hot shooting. A couple of three-pointers late in the second quarter gave Clemson a 28-26 halftime advantage.
The Trojans ramped up their defensive intensity in the second half, creating offensive opportunities that ultimately set up their thrilling overtime victory.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story/2026-03-21/usc-womens-basketball-clemson-jazzy-davidson-ncaa-tournament