The Score Didn’t Go Our Way, But the “Fight On” Mentality Told the Real Story
I’m not even gonna lie — this one hurt. Not because USC didn’t play well, but because they played their hearts out and still walked off the floor without the win. And when you really love this team, watching that kind of effort not get rewarded is tough, because they deserved more from this one. And that’s exactly why this game was such a clear example of what “Fight On” really means. Not just as a slogan, but as a mentality. Because even when the shots weren’t falling, even when they were shorthanded, and even when the scoreboard didn’t go their way, this team never stopped competing.
USC went toe-to-toe with the No. 12 team in the country right here in Galen Center and stayed in this game for 40 minutes. No folding, no backing down, no letting the moment take over. And they did it without Kennedy Smith, who means so much to what this team does defensively and emotionally on the floor. They were right there until the last two minutes.
So if you’re just looking at the final score and thinking this was a game USC let slip, that’s not the full picture at all. This was a game where USC made Maryland uncomfortable, took away the things they normally live off of, and forced them to grind for everything they got. And when you really break this game down, the numbers tell a story that most people are going to miss.
USC Completely Shut Down Transition
Let’s start with the biggest thing, because this matters. Maryland averages close to 19 fast break points per game. That’s a huge part of their offense. They turn pressure into easy buckets and love to run when teams get sloppy. USC held them to three fast break points. Three. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s sprinting back. That’s guards getting below the ball. That’s posts running rim to rim. That’s discipline and commitment on every change of possession. USC didn’t allow this game to turn into a track meet, and that alone kept this game competitive all night long. When you force Maryland to score in the half court, you already changed the game.
USC Took Away the Other Easy Ways Maryland Scores
And this is where the defensive effort really stands out, because it wasn’t just about transition. Coming into this game, Maryland normally gets 41.2 points in the paint (about 47.4% of their scoring), 15.2 second-chance points, 26 points off turnovers, and 26.7 bench points. That’s where a lot of their momentum usually comes from. Now look at what USC held them to. Maryland finished with just 26 points in the paint, which is 15 fewer than their season average. They had 14 second-chance points, and USC matched them there so it never became an advantage. They scored only nine points off turnovers, when they normally average 26. And USC didn’t allow the bench to swing the game with easy runs. So yes, Maryland still scored — they’re a good team. But they did not score the way they usually do. USC took away the easiest parts of their offense and forced them into tougher half-court possessions. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s scouting, discipline, and buying into the game plan for 40 minutes.
USC Took Care of the Ball and Controlled the Flow
Another stat that jumps off the page: turnovers. USC finished with nine turnovers. Maryland finished with nineteen. Against a pressure-heavy team like Maryland, that’s big. USC didn’t panic, didn’t rush, and didn’t give Maryland extra possessions to fuel their offense. Even more important, USC actually made those turnovers count. They scored 16 points off turnovers compared to Maryland’s nine. That’s momentum. That’s taking advantage of opportunities instead of just surviving pressure. That tells you USC was creating swings in this game, not just hanging on.
USC Didn’t Just Defend the System — They Defended the Players
USC didn’t just take away Maryland’s style of play — they also did a strong job on the players who usually carry their scoring. Coming into this game, Oluche Okananwa averages 17.4 points per game, Yarden Garzon averages 13.4 points per game, Addy Mack averages 10 points per game, and Saylor Poffenbarger averages 10.5 points per game, while shooting 50.8% from two and 38.6% from three. Those are the players Maryland usually leans on, especially Oluche, who can really hurt you when she gets downhill. Now look at what USC held them to in this game. Oluche Okananwa finished with seven points, more than 10 below her average. Yarden Garzon finished with 10 points, below her average. Saylor Poffenbarger finished with nine points, below her average. Addy Mack finished right around her average. So three of Maryland’s top four scorers were held below what they normally produce, and their leading scorer was held to less than half of her season average. That’s not random. That’s targeted, disciplined defense. USC stayed connected to shooters, walled up on drives, and didn’t allow Maryland’s main options to get into rhythm. And when you do that, you give yourself a chance to win — which is exactly why this game was still up for grabs in the final two minutes.
The Frontcourt Gave Real, Physical Minutes
And this is where I really want to give credit, because the frontcourt showed up in this game. USC won the offensive rebounding battle 18–12. Both teams finished with 14 second-chance points. Points in the paint were even at 26–26. That tells you everything you need to know about the work USC’s bigs did. Dayana Mendes, Vivian Iwuchukwu, and Laura Williams gave productive, physical minutes. They battled on the glass, they didn’t give up easy post position, and they created extra possessions that kept USC within striking distance. This was not a game where USC got bullied inside. They held their ground, matched Maryland’s physicality, and made the paint a contested area all night.
Kara Dunn Did Exactly What Needed to Be Done
And we absolutely have to shout out Kara Dunn, because she set the tone offensively in this game and did it in a way that doesn’t always show up in highlight clips, but wins you tough conference games. Dunn finished with a strong all-around line — scoring, rebounding, and creating for others, including five assists — but what really stood out was how she got her points. She wasn’t settling. She was posting up smaller defenders, sealing, and taking them straight to the bucket, exactly the way I said in the preview that USC could attack Maryland. That matters, because when your guards can punish mismatches inside, it forces the defense to collapse and opens things up for everyone else. Dunn didn’t just score — she made Maryland adjust, and she kept pressure on the defense all night with her physicality and decision-making. In a game that came down to a few possessions, that kind of aggressive, smart offense is a big reason USC stayed right there until the final minutes.
Physical Play, But Not the Whistle
Another thing that stood out in this game was how physical USC was — and how that physicality didn’t really translate into getting calls on the other end. Maryland went to the free-throw line 26 times, while USC only went 15 times, and that’s a big gap in a game that stayed tight all the way to the end. When you’re attacking, posting up, and initiating contact the way USC was — especially with players like Kara Dunn taking defenders to the rim — you expect that physicality to go both ways. But it didn’t. And whether that’s about reputation, style of play, or just how the game was being called that night, it affects how aggressive you can stay defensively and how freely you can play inside. USC didn’t back off physically, but they weren’t rewarded for it the same way, and in a game decided by a few possessions, that difference shows up on the scoreboard.
So What Actually Cost USC the Game? Shot-Making
And this is the part that makes this one so tough, because when you look at how USC defended, how they took care of the ball, how they battled on the glass, how they played physical, and how they even stepped up at the free-throw line, you would honestly expect that kind of performance to result in a win. But at the end of the day, this game came down to shot-making. USC finished the night shooting just 28% overall and 16% from three. And when you take 32 three-point attempts and only hit a small percentage of them, it puts pressure on every other part of your offense, no matter how well you’re defending. What makes this even more frustrating is that USC actually defended Maryland’s shots extremely well too. Maryland shot only 39% overall and 25% from three in this game. For context, Maryland normally shoots 48.1% from the field and 35% from three on the season. So USC held them well below their averages across the board. That’s why this one hurts, because when you hold a Top-12 team under their season shooting averages, play as hard as you played, and still don’t pull it out, that just hurts. It hurts because the effort was there. The defense was there. The fight was there. And sometimes in basketball, you do almost everything right and the ball just doesn’t fall when you need it to.
And They Did All of This Without Kennedy Smith
And this is the part that really cannot be overlooked. USC held Maryland to their lowest point total of the season — 62 points. Let that sink in. They did that while being without one of the best two-way players in the country, and arguably the best overall defender in the Big Ten, in Kennedy Smith. And it wasn’t just about the final score either. USC also locked Maryland down to just 11 points in the second quarter. The only team all season to hold Maryland to a lower single-quarter total was Minnesota, who held them to nine points in the second quarter of their matchup. That means USC is literally one of only two teams all year that has put Maryland in that kind of offensive box for an entire quarter. USC took away transition, held Maryland under their shooting averages, limited their top scorers, and controlled the game defensively for long stretches. That speaks volumes about the buy-in from the entire roster and the way this team competed collectively on the defensive end. Everybody had to cover more ground. Everybody had to rebound. Everybody had to stay connected. So when you look at this game, it’s not just about how well USC defended — it’s about how well they defended while missing one of the most impactful two-way players in the conference. And that matters.
Proud of This Team
At the end of the day, I’m extremely proud of this team — and Trojan fans should be proud too. Proud of the fight. Proud of the resilience. Proud of the way they stayed connected and kept competing, even when the shots weren’t falling and even when they were missing one of their most important players. This game showed progress. It showed that this group is learning how to grind, how to defend at a high level, and how to stay in big games against top competition. It showed that USC is not backing down from anybody, no matter who is on the other side of the floor. Losses like this hurt, but they also show you who you are. And what USC showed in this game is that they are a resilient group that’s going to keep fighting, keep improving, and keep pushing forward. So yeah, the scoreboard didn’t go our way. But the fight? The heart? The direction this team is headed? That’s something to believe in. Fight On.
