JuJu Watkins and No. 4 USC overcome slow start in blowout win over Nebraska
LA TimesUSC guard JuJu Watkins, left, defends against Nebraska guard Allison Weidner during the first half of the Trojans’ 75-55 win Wednesday at Galen Center. “We’re learning this conference, but it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of NCAA tournament-quality teams,” Gottlieb said of the Trojans’ Big Ten rivals. “We have to approach each game that way — since it’s all new to us — and I thought we responded really well at halftime, and we were a lot better defensively, particularly in the second half.” Some of the Trojans’ best defensive runs came when senior center Clarice Akunwafo and sophomore guard Malia Samuels were on the floor. “We took it personal, and just building off that loss, I think we’ve been able to gain momentum, both offensively and defensively,” said freshman guard Kennedy Smith, who tallied seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.