Londynn Jones scores a career-high 28 points as USC women rout Cal Poly

It was an unforgettable match for Londynn Jones. She played with confidence and showed off her dribbling skills and overall skills as she finished the game with a career-high 28 points in the USC women’s basketball team’s 86-39 win over Cal Poly on Thursday night at the Galen Center.

In the first part of the game, Jones was perfect on offense while also defending aggressively every time the Mustangs had the ball. When Cal Poly was attacking, she would throw steals and complete the play with a field goal, sometimes even adding an extra point on a foul.

“I’m just happy that we’ve figured it out and are finally starting to put the pieces together,” she said. “I know it’s something we’ve emphasized in practice, just watching film and putting the pieces together.”

Jones finished the game making 11 of 16 field goals and Jazzy Davidson had 17 points and nine rebounds.

The Trojans (8-3) looked sluggish in the first half, with Davidson making just three of 11 baskets and the Mustangs (2-9) grabbing 15 rebounds. But as the game wore on, USC’s defense forced Cal Poly to run out the shot clock multiple times and forced 27 turnovers while scoring 39 points on them.

“We kind of played the way we wanted to, for most of the game, and that’s encouraging,” coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

After losing to Connecticut 79-51 on Saturday, Gottlieb wanted to see her team play with intent while defending, she wanted them to pressure the ball and she wanted to see participation from all players on the court at the same time.

Offensively, she wanted her team to do the simple things better. Gottlieb wanted them to create space and have better movement.

“I saw it in training and I think we saw it a lot in the game tonight too,” she said. “But this will continue to be a work in progress.

The Trojans started the third quarter with 10 unanswered points. Cal Poly scored only five points in the quarter, allowing the Trojans to extend their advantage, closing the third quarter with a 43-point lead, 71-28.

The Trojans finished the game with 15 steals and the bench scored 45 points. Overall, the team finished the game with 44 rebounds, the majority of which came from the offense.

“I thought our defensive intensity created more open looks for us,” Gottlieb said.

Yakiya Milton played a big role with eight rebounds and four blocks in 10 minutes of play. One of the four blocks came when she stopped a Mustang driving toward the basket and protected the rim. Something Gottlieb preached during practice, she said.

“I try to capitalize on every opportunity I get,” Milton said. “I try to play with as much energy and intensity as possible.”

As the Trojans look ahead to a series of Big 10 games against Nebraska and UCLA, Gottlieb doesn’t see a starting five. She believes that the strength of her team lies in the depth of its squad.

“No one has played 30 minutes and maybe that’s a little atypical, but we believe we can play different types of lineups, different people that have different skills, different looks,” she said.

And with the help of Jones, who made the Final Four with UCLA and competed in big conference games, she knows the team will feed off her energy and play with confidence.

“I mean, she wore the wrong colors or different colors,” Gottlieb joked. “But you know, she’s been faced with situations and that experience is everything.”

“She’s going to bring that confidence and swagger no matter what,” she added.