CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 18 points, despite having an off-shooting night, to help No. 10 Southern Cal beat 11th-ranked Oregon State 58-50 on Sunday.
The 6-foot-2 freshman guard, who is the second-leading scorer in Division 1 behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, was just 6 of 32 of from the field.
Despite Clark’s shooting struggles, USC (20-4, 10-4 Pac-12) extended its winning streak to six games, while the Beavers’ six-game winning streak came to an end.
McKenzie Forbes scored 13 points for USC, and Rayah Marshall added 11 points and 17 rebounds for the Trojans, who never trailed.
Oregon State (21-4, 10-4 Pac-12) played without leading scorer and rebounder Raegan Beers, who sustained a facial injury early in the second quarter of Friday’s win over No. 9 UCLA. The 6-foot-4 sophomore forward was on the Beavers’ bench for Sunday’s game, but not in uniform and Oregon State missed her inside presence.
The Beavers made things interesting down the stretch.
Lily Hansford’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 55-50 with 43 seconds left, but the Beavers would not get closer.
Timea Gardiner scored all 22 of her points in the second half to pace Oregon State. Talia von Oelhoffen, who made the game-winning 3-pointer in the Beavers’ 79-77 victory over UCLA on Friday, had six points and 10 assists.
USC took its biggest lead at 38-25 on Kaitlyn Davis’ layup midway through the third quarter.
Watkins scored 12 first-half points on 4 of 20 from the field with nine rebounds as the Trojans led 26-20 at the break. USC led by as much as 11 points in the first half.
Both teams played aggressive man-to-man defense, and that contributed to the shooting struggles.
USC shot 22 of 71 for 31 percent, and Oregon State was 19 of 58 for 32.8 percent.
BIG PICTURE
Southern California: The Trojans swept the regular season series against Oregon State after winning the first matchup 58-56 at home on Jan. 5. With six wins in a row the Trojans have momentum entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
Oregon State: The Beavers have five wins over ranked teams. Despite Sunday’s setback, they are a lock to be back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Beavers lost for the first time at home this season.
UP NEXT
USC: The Trojans will be at home Friday against No. 8 Colorado.
Oregon State: The Beavers will be at Washington State on Friday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
