No. 6 USC struggles to rally after JuJu Watkins fouls out in loss to No. 3 Colorado
There were the two steals from Kindyll Wetta down the stretch, along with the charge that Jaylyn Sherrod drew to foul out Trojans standout JuJu Watkins. There were the big threes from Quay Miller and, of course, the even bigger basket from Aaronette Vonleh.
Just veteran players coming through in a close one for Colorado.
Vonleh hit a go-ahead layup with 49 seconds remaining and sealed it at the free throw line as the third-ranked Buffaloes escaped with a 63-59 win over No. 6 USC on Sunday.
“I’m really proud of our team because we haven’t played a ton of really close games this year, where every single possession was crucial,” Colorado coach JR Payne said. “But our veterans totally led us down the stretch of the game.”
Alissa Pili scores a season-high 37 points to lead No. 20 Utah to a 78-58 upset victory over JuJu Watkins and No. 6 USC.
The Buffaloes (16-2, 6-1 Pac-12) finished 2-1 over a difficult stretch of playing three straight against top-10 opponents. They beat No. 8 Stanford last Sunday before losing to fifth-ranked UCLA on Friday night in front of a record crowd.
This crowd was just as loud, especially after Vonleh gave the Buffaloes a 58-56 lead.
Miller scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Colorado, while Sherrod finished with 17 points and one big assist that set up Vonleh’s late basket.
Watkins had 20 points before fouling out for the Trojans (13-3, 3-3), who were coming in off a 78-58 road loss to 20th-ranked Utah. Taylor Bigby had 14.
Leading 60-56 after a pair of free throws by Frida Formann, USC’s Kayla Padilla hit a three-pointer with 15.3 seconds remaining to make it one-point game. Sherrod made one of two free throws.
McKenzie Forbes’ shot down low was off the mark and Vonleh hit two free throws to close out the win.
For Vonleh, it was a case of staying sharp despite a tough game where she finished three of nine from the floor.
“We don’t win that game, probably, if Netty doesn’t do what she did,” Payne said. “I talked a lot about these guys don’t care who gets to shine or who makes the winning basket or rebound or whatever, just stay together and stay locked in — I thought she did that when she needed to.”
The pivotal moment was when Watkins picked up her fourth foul and went to the bench with just over eight minutes remaining and Colorado leading 51-49. Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb rolled the dice, though, and brought Watkins back at 6:42. Less than a minute later, Watkins picked up her fifth when Sherrod drew a charge.
It was the first time this season Watkins has fouled out.
“I thought the team rallied even though we haven’t played too many minutes without her,” Gottlieb said. “Obviously, we want JuJu on the floor as much as possible, but when she’s not, we’ve got make plays and I think other people did step up when they had to.”
Wetta gets a big assist for her coverage of Watkins, who had 12 of her points in the first quarter. Watkins averaged 26.5 points a game entering Sunday.
“That’s my job when I’m in the game, to create havoc,” Wetta said.
Her coach certainly appreciated the defensive intensity.
“Kindyll Wetta is the best defender in America,” Payne said. “She is tough. She is fearless. She has cat-quick hands. She’s disrupted. ... She’s totally annoying on defense to her opponent.”
Big picture
USC: The Trojans are 2-3 against ranked teams this season.
Colorado: The Buffaloes have now beaten three top-10 opponents in the same season for the first time in team history. They also beat then top-ranked Louisiana State to start the season.
Honoring Zimmer
There was a moment of silence before the game to honor Larry Zimmer, the longtime radio voice for the University of Colorado football and basketball games who died Saturday night. He was 88.
Up next for USC: vs. Washington State at Galen Center on Friday.
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