Freshman star Jazzy Davidson scores season-best 24 points, leads No. 19 USC women past Cal 61-57
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9:58 PM on Sunday, December 21
By JANIE McCAULEY
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Freshman Jazzy Davidson scored a go-ahead layup with 4:05 remaining and finished with a season-best 24 points, leading the No. 19 USC women past California 61-57 on Sunday in the 2025 Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic.
After Davidson’s basket, Londynn Jones hit a jumper the next time down as USC used a 6-0 burst to take control. The Trojans answered each Cal threat with a key defensive play or big basket.
Cal called timeout with 43.8 seconds left and trailing 56-54 but as the Golden Bears tried to set up a play, USC's Kennedy Smith made a steal on Sakima Walker's bad pass.
Davidson, one of four Trojans averaging double digits, shot 9 for 21 with three 3-pointers. She scored 14 of her points by halftime as USC led 31-28 and held Cal to only five 3-point attempts while forcing 11 turnovers.
The Trojans scored 15 points off 18 total turnovers by Cal (8-5).
Walker led the Golden Bears with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lulu Twidale and Taylor Barnes each scored 11.
The longtime Pac-12 rivals reunited at Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors — and fans hurried down the stairs even just for a glimpse of injured USC star JuJu Watkins walking in with the Trojans (9-3).
The game featured fifth-year USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb against her former Cal program that she led to its first Final Four after the 2012-13 season. Gottlieb coached the Golden Bears from 2011-19.
Cal's Gisella Maul went down hard in the closing moments of the third quarter and walked to the locker room herself.
After the Bears shot 5 for 20 from 3-point range in last Sunday's 78-69 loss at Stanford, they were just 1 of 11 from deep.
The Trojans had beaten Top-25 opponents NC State and Washington already during the non-conference schedule.
Earlier, Stanford beat Oregon 64-53.
USC opens Big Ten Conference play Monday at Nebraska, while the Bears will host Cal Poly on Sunday.
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