EVANSTON, Ill. — The USC women’s basketball team put together one of its most complete performances of the season on Thursday night, building a 25-point lead by halftime and cruising to an 83-65 victory over Northwestern. Jazzy Davidson had 21 points and six assists to pace the Trojans (14-9 ove rall, 6-6 Big Ten). Kara Dunn had 18 points and six rebounds, while Kennedy Smith had 17 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for the second double-double of her career. Smith also had five assists. “Proud of how our team came out,” said USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, whose team has won three straight since losing six of seven. “Northwestern is a very skilled team. We executed the game plan well. To get a good win on the road is always a big thing.” USC seized control early and never relinquished it, opening the game on an 11-0 run. The Trojans forced six Northwestern turnovers in the first quarter, converting those miscues into 15 points on their way to a 28-16 lead after 10 minutes. The Trojans continued to apply pressure in the second quarter, extending their lead with a 12-2 run midway through the period, then closing the half with a 14-2 surge. USC shot 61% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, the 53-28 halftime lead establishing a season-high point total for the Trojans in any half. Davidson opened the second half with a layup and later completed a three-point play as USC maintained firm control throughout the third quarter. The freshman guard scored eight points in the period as the Trojans led by as much as 27. Laura Williams matched her career high with eight points and added a game-high three blocked shots for USC. “I feel like as a team with these last couple of games, we’ve improved a lot,” Smith said. “We’ve stayed consistent and are playing together and growing as a team, and that starts in practice. The games matter the most in February and March, so we’re here to be better from here on out.” Grace Sullivan had 24 points and Casey Harter added 20 to lead the Wildcats (8-15, 2-10). UP NEXT USC plays at Illinois on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT. Related Articles USC women eye two valuable wins on upcoming road trip Alijah Arenas’ breakout game helps USC finish off Indiana USC heads into 2026 season with a QB room that’s ‘quite a bit better’ than last year USC men keep finding ways to win close games, take on Indiana next USC women rout Rutgers for 2nd straight Big Ten win ...read more read less