No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (27-1, 17-0 Big Ten) will face USC (17-11, 9-8) on Sunday to conclude the regular season. The Bruins are entering the matchup at Galen Center on a 21-game win streak and with an undefeated record in conference play. UCLA’s last game, an 80-60 win over Wisconsin on Feb. 22, secured the program’s first-ever outright regular season conference title.
USC is coming off an 88-83 loss to then-No. 10 Ohio State and an 85-82 loss to Penn State. The squad boasts an 81-69 victory over then-No. 8 Iowa on Jan. 29, its only win over a ranked opponent in 2026.
The crosstown rivals faced off on Jan. 3 at Pauley Pavilion, and the Bruins walked away with a dominant 80-46 victory. Here is a breakdown of the Trojans’ personnel.
Personnel:
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb
Bigs/Forwards: Laura Williams, Dayana Mendes
Guards: Jazzy Davidson, Kara Dunn, Kennedy Smith, Londynn Jones
Best Player: Jazzy Davidson
X-Factor: Kennedy Smith
Stat Profile:
Points per game: 70.9
Field goal percentage: 41.2%
Points allowed per game: 62
Field goal percentage allowed: 39.1%
Frontcourt:
One of the Trojans biggest weaknesses is their lack of forwards.
Throughout the conference season, the squad has seen three forwards come and go in the starting lineup, with coach Lindsay Gottlieb designating 6-foot-2 forward Laura Williams as the starter for the past six games. Williams and 6-foot-3 guard/forward Dayana Mendes, who comes in off the bench, are the most impactful frontcourt players for USC.
Even so, neither has contributed significant scoring numbers against conference opponents, with Mendes averaging 3.1 points per game and Williams averaging 3. Williams sits third on the squad in rebounds, grabbing 5.5 boards per game against Big Ten opponents.
The Trojan’s tallest player is 6-foot-5 Yakiya Milton, who has averaged just seven minutes of play in just four Big Ten appearances.
This lack of size may prove handy for the Bruins, who bring 6-foot-7 senior center Lauren Betts. Betts averages 18.2 points and 9.6 rebounds against conference opponents, good for 13th and first, respectively, in the Big Ten. She had 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and 12 boards in UCLA’s last match against USC, along with four assists and three blocks.
Betts has scored double-digits in 19 straight games, with her last single-digit game coming Nov. 30 against then-No. 14 Tennessee. She is shooting 55.6% across the conference season and has gotten 35 blocks in the same frame.
In the last rivalry matchup, the Bruins scored 42 points in the paint compared to just 10 from the Trojans. Betts’ dominance will likely prevail over the Trojans once more because of the crosstown rival’s lack of size and strength down low, giving the Bruins a strong advantage in the frontcourt.
Backcourt
All five of the USC’s leading scorers are guards.
Jazzy Davidson, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025 per ESPN, leads the Trojans in all five major categories across conference play. Davidson averages 19.3 points per game – good for eighth in the Big Ten – and 5.9 rebounds per game to go along with her 83 total assists, 33 total steals and 32 total blocks.
The freshman phenom’s only performance in single digits was three games into the season, when she scored eight against then-No. 2 South Carolina. Davidson is shooting 41.3% from the field and 80.6% from the charity stripe in conference play.
She is backed by Kara Dunn, who averages 18.5 points per game – sitting ahead of Betts in the Big Ten at 12th – and 5.8 rebounds per contest against Big Ten opponents. Dunn is the squad’s biggest threat from deep, shooting 35.8% from behind the arc and averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers a game against conference teams.
Kennedy Smith contributes an additional 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 49% shooting from the field against conference opponents, the most efficient mark of the squad’s key players.
The Trojan’s final starter is Lonynn Jones, a familiar name to Bruin fans. Jones played with UCLA for three seasons before transferring across town for her senior year. Jones averages 8.4 points per conference game on 34.1% shooting.
The Bruins also showcase a strong four-guard lineup, consisting of seniors Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez and graduate students Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens.
Kneepkens, Rice and Leger-Walker are all shooting above 37% from the 3-point line across conference play, with Kneepkens leading the way at a clip of 46.4% and 2.3 made shots from deep per game. Rice is shooting 43.2% from beyond the arc and Leger-Walker boasts a 37.7% clip from the 3-point line.
Only Dunn and Davidson reached double digits for the Trojans in the Jan. 3 matchup, scoring 11 and 10, respectively, with Smith grabbing a game-high five boards. On the other hand, Kneepkens, Rice and Jaquez all reached double-digits in the last rivalry clash, scoring 15, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The guard matchup is the one to watch, but with years of experience on the Bruin side, they will likely prevail over the Trojans once more.
Overall
The biggest mismatch between these opponents lies in the frontcourt, a discrepancy Betts will likely take advantage of. The backcourt matchup may be more even, but UCLA’s age and experience should push the squad over the edge for the second time this season.
The Bruins are shooting 51% from the field in conference play and boast a 25.4 point win differential over Big Ten teams. The Trojans, on the other hand, are shooting only 42.1% from the field in conference play and own a 3.3 point win differential over Big Ten opponents.
The Westwood squad’s quest for an undefeated Big Ten regular season will be determined by the fate of the Battle of LA.
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