Davidson’s heroics power No. 18 USC over No. 9 NC State

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jazzy Davidson scored 21 points and made the go-ahead layup with 8.2 seconds left as No. 18 Southern Cal took down No. 9 North Carolina State 69-68 on Sunday in the third-annual Ally-Tip Off.

Davidson’s late game heroics — where she cut hard to the basket and caught Kennedy Smith’s inbounds pass in stride — capped off an impressive second half for the USC freshman, as she scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting after halftime.

The Trojans (2-0) were also bolstered by Londynn Jones’ 19 points. Smith added 10 points and eight rebounds.

N.C. State (1-1) was powered by Zoe Brooks, who had 24 points and 11 rebounds. Following Davidson’s go-ahead layup, USC’s Malia Samuels stole the ball from Brooks during a desperate drive to the basket. N.C. State had one more chance to win the game with under two seconds to play, but the Wolfpack’s inbounds pass was picked off by Smith.

Khamil Pierre added a career-high-tying 18 rebounds and 10 points for N.C. State.

N.C. State began to pull away at the end of the third quarter with an 8-0 run that was capped off by a transition 3-pointer from Zam Jones. A free throw from Brooks to start the fourth quarter gave the Wolfpack its largest lead of the game at 11 points.

The Trojans then outscored the Wolfpack 19-7 to close out the game and seal the win. USC scored 15 points off 18 N.C. State turnovers.

USC is still trying to figure out how to play without reigning National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins, who is sidelined for the season after having surgery to repair a knee injury she suffered in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. However, against N.C. State, the trio of Davidson, Jones and Smith looked more than capable of leading the Trojans.

Up Next

N.C. State: Maine visits the Wolfpack on Tuesday in Raleigh.

USC: The Trojans face No. 2 South Carolina on Saturday in Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. ____

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