The Nebraska Cornhuskers got off to an excellent start to the season, beating all of their first twelve opponents. Facing their first ranked opponent—aUSC team without JuJu Watkins—spelled trouble, however. While Nebraska started strong and won the first quarter 20-12 and finished with a 14-9 quarter, it still lost the game 66-74. USC pulled away in the third quarter, securing a 13-point lead.
After the game, Nebraska head coach Amy Williams wasn’t happy with her team’s effort and issued a harsh reminder of what it takes to beat top opponents.
“We were not as sharp as we needed to be to be able to win games against ranked opponents in the Big 10 conference,” Williams said in her opening statement after the game. “Too many points off our turnovers, too many points off second-chance points, off rebounds for Southern Cal today for us to be able to come out victorious.”
She also added that her team “got punched in the mouth” and wasn’t “disciplined enough.” Nevertheless, Williams found a silver lining, assuring reporters that her team would respond well to the loss.
Rebounds, points in the paint, and points off turnovers were an issue for Nebraska
Nebraska lost the rebounding battle on both ends of the floor. USC got 16 offensive rebounds compared to Nebraska’s 10–and not just from its forwards. Guards Jazzy Davidson and Kara Dunn combined for five offensive rebounds and eight defensive rebounds. Four USC players finished with at least five rebounds. Nebraska, meanwhile, didn’t get more than four rebounds from any of its players. The lack of defensive rebounding by Nebraska was amplified by two consecutive offensive rebounds from Davidson, one to finish the second quarter and one to start the third.
Nebraska also lost the battle in the paint 44-28, struggling to keep USC away from the rim. Davidson, Smith, and Dunn all did most of their damage inside the arc, as USC struggled to knock down threes. Londynn Jones eventually got hot from three in the third quarter, and Nebraska offered little resistance at the 3-point line during her flurry.
On top of that, Nebraska allowed USC to score 27 points off its 16 turnovers.
Two bright spots in the game were Nebraska’s success at the free-throw line and an efficient 18-point performance along with 7 assists from Britt Prince.
Nebraska won’t have much time to think about this loss
The good news is, the Cornhuskers won’t have to stew over this loss for long. The Iowa Hawkeyes are already waiting for them to start the new year. Iowa is currently ranked fourteenth and has something to prove after losing to Iowa State and UConn. So, Iowa won’t be an easy opponent either and will offer Nebraska the perfect opportunity to redeem itself.
After Iowa, Nebraska will have to face more ranked opponents: UCLA, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Maryland. UCLA, the fourth-ranked team in the country, should be the toughest team on that list, but Michigan and Maryland will also pose a challenge.