USC finds momentum after COVID-19 pause as UCLA’s struggles continue

USC came back from its COVID-19 pause in style.

After knocking off previously undefeated Arizona on Sunday in their second game after a three-week hiatus, USC players received a special gift from coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Stacks of orange Nike shoeboxes were wheeled onto the court at Galen Center after practice on Tuesday — the team’s first since a 76-67 win over the Wildcats — and players chest-bumped and high-fived as they revealed cardinal and gold low-top Nike Dunks.

The delayed holiday presents and signature victory eased the sting of an otherwise difficult past month for USC as COVID-19 protocols forced the team off the court. With new kicks and new confidence, the Trojans hope to carry their momentum into a home series against Washington State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Washington at noon on Sunday.

“There’s a bounce in the room when you win a game like that,” Gottlieb said. “It’s really up to me and our coaching staff to be able to convert that to consistent willingness to play with the kind of purpose we did against Arizona.”

While the Trojans can savor their first top-five win since 2014, UCLA is struggling to find its footing after a four-week break. Following a Dec. 11 loss to Connecticut, the Bruins didn’t return to game action until Jan. 9, losing 71-63 to Colorado. The pandemic, coupled with a rash of preseason injuries, has thrown a wrench in UCLA’s once-promising season.

“It just seems the hits just keep coming,” said coach Cori Close, whose team was ranked 20th in the Associated Press preseason poll. “But the reality is I can’t focus on that. I can’t give my energy to things that I just can’t control.”

UCLA will have its first home games since Dec. 5 this weekend, hosting Washington at 7 p.m. on Friday and Washington State on Sunday. General fans are barred from attending games at Galen Center and Pauley Pavilion because of the national COVID-19 surge that began last month.

Positive coronavirus tests started closing in on UCLA after the team returned from Newark, N.J., where the Bruins played UConn in a nationally televised game. The UCLA men’s team, which shares a practice facility with the women, began canceling games on Dec. 17. The women announced their first cancellation the following day.

UCLA guard Charisma Osborne shoots over Connecticut guard Christyn Williams during a game on Dec. 11.

(Noah K. Murray / Associated Press)

The positive tests trickled in day by day. Every time UCLA thought it could take the court, two more players had to enter isolation. Six of the eight players who played against UConn tested positive in addition to several staff members, Close said. The remaining two players avoided the virus, but only until Christmas, which only extended the pause.

USC thought it stayed safe. When Long Beach State’s COVID-19 protocols forced the cancellation of a nonconference game, Gottlieb started looking for a substitute opponent.

Then surveillance testing revealed multiple positive cases on USC’s team. Although they were asymptomatic when they got tested, several players developed symptoms during isolation, Gottlieb said.

Instead of returning home for Christmas break, players had to stay in hotels alone. The first-year head coach and her four-year-old son, Jordan, delivered care packages to them, but Jordan didn’t understand why he couldn’t see the players in person.

“That was just really mentally hard, I think, for me, as a parent, as a coach, to just have kids be sick in a hotel room and not be able to go home,” Gottlieb said. “We really went through it. So once you’re through that, I just talked to the players about A) being able to appreciate even more our ability to do what we do, recognizing how hard that time was for some of them and then just starting the mentality of coming back to being able to play.”

Both teams returned to action in tough conditions, playing on the road at Colorado. The Buffaloes (13-0) are the only remaining undefeated team in the country.

The Bruins, who are still without starting point guard Gina Conti (foot) and transfer forward Angela Dugalić (knee), had only eight players. UCLA showed its defensive prowess by holding Colorado to 16.7% shooting in an ugly first quarter but wore down as the game went on.

Freshman forward Izzy Anstey anchored UCLA’s defensive effort with a career-high 13 rebounds. The Australian junior national team member was the “highlight of the game against Colorado,” Close said, as she returns to form after not training during Australia’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns last year.

Connecticut guard Christyn Williams, left, drives against UCLA forward Izzy Anstey during a game on Dec. 11.

(Noah K. Murray / Associated Press)

“The future is very bright for Izzy,” Close said. “I think she’s going to be a major impact player for us. She’s got a high IQ and she’s got a mean streak and an edge that I love.”

USC rallied from a 71-58 loss to Colorado on Jan. 7 to knock off then-No. 4 Arizona at Galen Center two days later. Junior Alyson Miura had four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Trojans pull away as Gottlieb commended her players for executing the scouting report and finishing possessions with more purpose than against Colorado.

“We didn’t look at their name or their ranking,” said forward Rayah Marshall, who was named Pac-12 freshman of the week. “We just came out and played and do what we had to do. I feel like we can do that to a lot of other teams if we come out with that same hunger and eagerness to win.”

The victory is a major piece of USC’s postseason resume as the Trojans hope to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014.

The Bruins have just one victory over a Power 5 team — a 69-57 victory over Virginia on Nov. 21 — and lost out on resume-boosting opportunities with a canceled game against Ohio State and yet-to-be-rescheduled home matchups against Arizona State and Arizona.

UCLA’s streak of five consecutive NCAA tournament berths is in danger after an inconsistent start to the year, but the Bruins aren’t changing their usual March itinerary yet.

“I plan on being in the NCAA tournament,” Close said. “We just have to figure out how to get some of these wins.”