LAS VEGAS, NEV. — The No. 5 USC women’s basketball team served up one more upset and one more win over a top-10 opponent in taking down top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Stanford 704-61 in today’s Pac-12 Tournament championship game at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The total team effort saw McKenzie Forbes put forth a heroic 26-point outing along with a double-double from Rayah Marshall and big-time shots made by Kayla Padilla to help fuel the Trojans to their second Pac-12 tourney title, last won 10 years ago in 2014. At 26-5 overall, Lindsay Gottlieb‘s Trojans had recorded the most wins for USC since 1993-94, when Cheryl Miller was at the helm.
The teams traded 10-0 rallies in the first half, and it was tied up 22-22 early in the second quarter, but USC pushed back out ahead and wrapped the half on a 6-0 run to lead it 40-31. USC had shot 41.7 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes to trail Stanford’s 46.2 percent effort, although the Trojans were ahead on the boards 22-13 by the break. USC had turned eight Stanford turnovers into 15 points, and the Trojans landed six 3-pointers in the first half to the Cardinal’s four first-half threes. USC stayed in the driver’s seat from there, keeping the Cardinal in at least an eight-point hole down the stretch to lock up the title. USC finished up shooting 39.7 percent overall to Stanford’s 42.4 percent, while the Trojans stayed ahead on the boards 48-28 and ended up with 21 points scored off of 11 Stanford turnovers. USC landed nine 3-pointers in the win, ahead of Stanford’s seven.
Forbes’ game-high 26 points paved the way for the Trojans, who had Padilla add 13 points and Marshall tally 10 points with a season-high 18 rebounds. Stanford was led by Cameron Brink’s 19 points and 10 rebounds along with 18 points from Kiki Iriafen.
Forbes was selected the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and Watkins was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
All the action was coming from beyond the arc early on, with McKenzie Forbes striking first for USC. Stanford planted back-to-back threes next, only to see Kayla Padilla mirror that all herself as USC led it 9-6. Forbes nabbed a steal and finished on the other end, and the Rayah Marshall performed a similar pick-and-finish, spinning in the paint to make it a 10-0 USC rally to lead it 13-6 at 4:25 in the first. Kaitlyn Davis went beast mode for two big buckets around a defensive interception by the…
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