The USC Trojans had lost against Clemson in regular time. There was no almost.  Mia Moore dribbled up the court and hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to make the score 64-61. However, luck was with the Trojans, as upon review, it was deemed too late for the shot clock and the referees discarded the final shot. The game went into overtime and Jazzy Davidson took over, leaving Juju Watkins stunned on the bench. 

Jazzy Davidson had caught fire. She had 25 points as they headed into OT and the Trojans needed their best player to step up and she did. With 2:17 left on the clock and the scoreline reading 64-61 to Clemson, Davidson received the pass at the top of the key. She got some space off of Kara Dunn’s ball screen and fired off a three-pointer, tying the game.  She was not done. Davidson was on the wing with a little more than a minute to go and needed less than a second to hit a catch and shoot for the go-ahead three-pointer.

The bench went crazy after those clutch shots, including the injured Juju Watkins, who was left awestruck. She had hands on her head and Watkins’ jaw literally dropped as USC advanced with a 71-67 win.

“It felt great,” Davidson said in the postgame press conference regarding those two shots. “My teammates and coaches put me in a great position with those shots. They called great play calls and my teammates executed perfectly and we got the shot. So it was great.”

Davidson finished with  31 points, recording  her 29th double-figure performance of the season. Her 31 points are the most by a USC freshman in an NCAA Tournament game and the second most by a Trojan in NCAA Tournament history. She also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to complete her all-round performance. 

Davidson is the first freshman with 30/5/5 in an NCAA Tournament debut in the last 25 years. The guard is the fifth Trojan to record 20+, 5+ and 5+ assists in an NCAA Tournament game, along with Cynthia Cooper, Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie and you guessed it, JuJu Watkins. “I mean, I’m running out of adjectives,” coach Lindsey Gottlieb said regarding Davidson. “She’s a really special player in the fact that, forget freshman, she’s a special player in all the ways that she impacts a game.” The Big Ten Freshman of the year put on a show, and Juju Watkins sent a clear 2-word message to the USC superstar. 

Juju Watkins Sends Her Support After USC Setup A South Carolina Rematch

Juju Watkins is in a different role for USC this season. “Whether it’s holding lip balm on the bench or just being there with the water. I’ve been trying to help them as much as I can and prepare to get back next year,” Watkins said. 

Last year, Watkins and the No. 1 Trojans faltered in the Elite 8 after Watkins tore her ACL in the second round. She has been on the bench ever since. After USC scraped through to the second round this year, Watkins wrote while reposting the scoreline, “LIT.CRAZY.MOVIE.” Obviously, it was the biggest moment of the season and USC passed the test to go through. The team persevered despite being behind 63% of the time. So, in the next instagram story, Watkins reposted Jazzy Davidson’s highlights while writing, “my goat.” She also sent a shout-out to Laura Williams, reposting 1 of her 3 blocks. 

She finished her streak with a clear message to her team. “So Proud,” she wrote.  Now, this No. 9-seeded USC side will face the mighty South Carolina in a second-round matchup. They lost to the Gamecocks 52-69 early in the season and are looking for revenge. “It’s exciting,” Davidson said. “They’re a great team. They’re super well coached. So just to be able to get another shot at them and see where we stack up again later in the season, it’s going to be a good game.”

It will be a challenge, as Dawn Staley’s side looks unstoppable after their 103-34 win over Southern Cal. Regardless, we have seen crazier upsets happen. If Davidson turns up the heat and gets some support, USC could ride their momentum against one of the best teams in the country.