No. 2 UCLA women complete undefeated Big Ten regular season with 73-50 win over USC
Southern California guard Jazzy Davidson (9) drives the ball while under pressure from UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/William Liang
LOS ANGELES — Charlisse Leger-Walker matched her season high with 20 points and No. 2 UCLA routed Southern California 73-50 on Sunday to complete the first undefeated Big Ten women's regular season in 11 years.
The Bruins (28-1, 18-0) equaled Maryland's feat from 2014-15, when the Terrapins also went 18-0. UCLA won the league title outright when it beat Wisconsin last weekend. The Bruins haven't lost since Nov. 26, when they were beaten by then-No. 4 Texas, 76-65.
Earlier Sunday, the Bruins were projected as one of the four No. 1 seeds for the women's NCAA Tournament in a second early reveal by the selection committee. Undefeated UConn was the No. 1 overall seed, edging UCLA and South Carolina.
Gabriela Jaquez had 14 points and eight rebounds, and Gianna Kneepkens also scored 14 points. Lauren Betts finished with five points on 2-of-10 shooting, 15 rebounds and five assists for the Bruins.
Freshman star Jazzy Davidson scored 12 points and Kennedy Smith added 11 for the Trojans (17-12, 9-9), who have lost three in a row and are 7-9 in their last 16. They got swept by the Bruins, losing 80-46 on Jan. 3.
USC star JuJu Watkins watched in street clothes, having spent the season rehabbing from a torn ACL she sustained in March Madness last year. A year ago Sunday, Watkins scored 30 points in a win against UCLA that clinched the Big Ten regular-season title for the Trojans in their first season in the league.
This time, USC made a run in the third, closing within nine on nine straight points including two 3-pointers by Kara Dunn. But the Bruins used runs of 10-0 and 7-0 to move ahead 57-36 going into the fourth.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice, left, drives the ball against Southern California guard Kennedy Smith, center, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/William Liang
UCLA had another 10-0 run in the fourth, when its lead ballooned to 71-42. The Bruins dominated the boards 47-22, including a 22-5 edge on the offensive glass. They forced USC into 15 turnovers, which led to 20 points for the Bruins.
Up next
UCLA: The Bruins are the top seed and play the winner of the USC-Washington game in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis on Friday.
USC: The Trojans are seeded ninth and play No. 8 seed Washington in the Big Ten tourney on Thursday.
