LOS ANGELES -- The USC Women of Troy may have won their fifth straight game, the longest winning streak this season, with a tight win against the Indiana Hoosiers, 79-73, but they used every ounce of resilience and toughness to push through.
Jazzy Davidson led the way once more for the Trojans with her team-best 24 points on 8-17 shooting and six rebounds.
Kennedy Smith and Kara Dunn produced similar stats on their side of the sheet, as Smith scored 15 points on 6-13 shooting, while Dunn had 16 points on 5-13 shooting.
Despite the scoring production from Davidson, Smith and Dunn, it was an overall tough showing for USC, playing a Big Ten opponent that is an abysmal 3-10 in conference play.
The Hoosiers entered the Galen Center on Thursday night without their best player —and leading scorer in the Big Ten— senior guard Shay Ciezki, but in the end, freshman Maya Makalusky stepped up tremendously for Indiana, scoring a whopping 29 points on 9-15 shooting and six rebounds.
Makalusky took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points, and was the main spearhead to a failed comeback attempt for the Hoosiers.
USC, on the other hand, kept Indiana at bay long enough to secure the win, but did not play their best game.
In the game, the Women of Troy shot just 38% from the floor compared to the Hoosiers 48%.
The tough shooting night was made up for on defense as the Women of Troy controlled the glass, snagging a team-total of 38 rebounds, and swiped the ball from the Hoosiers 11 times.
With this win, the Trojans improved to 16-9 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play.
The Women of Troy have a bit of time before their next game as they prepare to welcome the Wisconsin Badgers next Thursday.