# 2021–22 USC Trojans women's basketball team

The 2021–22 USC Trojans women's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Trojans played their home games at the Galen Center and areweremembers of the Pac-12 Conference. The squad is led by first-year head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who was hired on May 10, 2021. Prior to arriving at USC, Gottlieb served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Her previous head coaching experience includes stops at California, whom she led to the Final Four in 2013, and UC Santa Barbara.

## Previous season

The 2020-21 USC Trojans women's basketball team finished with an overall record of 10-11 and a 8-10 conference record. They earned the 8th seed in the 2021 Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament. They topped Arizona State in the first round before falling in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Stanford, who won the tournament as well as the NCAA Championship.
After the season, head coach Mark Trakh announced his retirement. Members of his coaching staff found jobs elsewhere like Aarika Hughes who took the head coaching job at Loyola Marymount. Athletic Director Mike Bohn hired Gottlieb shortly after Trakh's retirement and commented that the Athletics Department would truly invest in the storied women's basketball program.

## Offseason changes
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Shalexxus Aaron | 1 | G | 6'1" | RS Sophomore | Apple Valley, CA | Transferred to Syracuse |
| Endyia Rogers | 5 | G | 5'7" | Sophomore | Dallas, TX | Transferred to Oregon |

### Incoming transfer

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Tera Reed | 24 | G | 6'0" | Graduate Student | Auckland, NZ | VCU |

### 2021 recruiting class

This season, the Women of Troy bring in the seventh-ranked recruiting class.
| Name | Overall Rank | Position | Position Rank | Hometown | High School | Height | ESPN Stars | ESPN Grade |
| Clarice Akunwafo | 21 | F | 2 | Inglewood, CA | Rolling Hills Prep | 6'5" | 4 | 95 |
| Rayah Marshall | 27 | G | 10 | Los Angeles, CA | Lynwood HS | 6'3" | 4 | 94 |
| Isabella Perkins | | G | 34 | Chantilly, VA | Paul VI HS | 5'8" | 3 | 89 |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2021* 2:00 pm, N/A | | Antelope Valley Exhibition | W 120–34 | – | 18 – Pili | 8 – Marshall | 6 – White | Galen Center (304) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 11, 2021* 7:00 pm, live stream | | Hawaii High School Night | W 90–50 | 1–0 | 17 – Sanders | 9 – Marshall | 5 – Tied | Galen Center (1,147) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 14, 2021* 10:00 am, ACCN | | at Virginia | W 65–48 | 2–0 | 16 – Marshall | 10 – Tied | 4 – Caldwell | John Paul Jones Arena (1,385) Charlottesville, VA |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 pm, live stream | | Western Michigan | W 80–50 | 3–0 | 17 – Jenkins | 9 – Jackson | 5 – Caldwell | Galen Center (415) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 20, 2021* 2:00 pm, live stream | | Missouri State Rep Your Team Day | L 41–67 | 3–1 | 11 – Sanders | 9 – Tied | 2 – Marshall | Galen Center (372) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 25, 2021* 1:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Seton Hall Cancún Challenge | W 79–65 | 4–1 | 18 – Jenkins | 12 – Jenkins | 4 – Tied | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (131) Cancún, Mexico |
| | | | | | | | | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Cancún, Mexico |
| November 27, 2021* 1:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. UCF Cancún Challenge | L 47–56 | 4–2 | 12 – Miura | 7 – Marshall | 3 – Caldwell | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (114) Cancún, Mexico |
| 12/2/2021* 7:00 pm, USC Live Stream | | UC Irvine | W 78–69 | 5–2 | 24 – Jenkins | 7 – Jenkins | 5 – Miura | Galen Center (507) Los Angeles, CA |
| 12/5/2021* 2:00 pm, USC Live Stream | | San Francisco | L 63–78 | 5–3 | 15 – Tie | 9 – Reed | 5 – Reed | Galen Center (312) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 15, 2021* 12:00 pm, live stream | | CSU Northridge | W 76–51 | 6–3 | 15 – Sanders | 8 – Marshall | 4 – Reed | Galen Center (527) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 18, 2021* 2:00 pm, live stream | | Texas Southern | W 77–45 | 7–3 | 16 – Marshall | 14 – Sanders | 5 – Marshall | Galen Center (1,026) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 pm | | at Long Beach State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Long Beach State program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Long Beach State program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Long Beach State program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Long Beach State program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Long Beach State program. | Walter Pyramid Long Beach, CA |
| Pac-12 regular season |||||||||
| January 2, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | Arizona State | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the USC program. | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the USC program. | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the USC program. | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the USC program. | Postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the USC program. | Galen Center Los Angeles, CA |
| January 7, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | at Colorado | L 58–71 | 7–4 (0–1) | 14 – Jenkins | 10 – Marshall | 2 – Tied | CU Events Center (1,592) Boulder, CO |
| January 9, 2022 3:00 pm, live stream | | No. 4 Arizona | W 76–67 | 8–4 (1–1) | 15 – Miura | 7 – Jenkins | 6 – Miura | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 14, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | Washington State | L 63–71 | 8–5 (1–2) | 20 – Jenkins | 7 – Caldwell | 9 – Reed | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| 01/16/2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | Washington | W 73–66 | 9–5 (2–2) | 24 – Jenkins | 7 – Marshall | 7 – Reed | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 20, 2022 6:30 pm, P12N | | at UCLA Rivalry | L 43–66 | 9–6 (2–3) | 17 – Jenkins | 11 – Jenkins | 2 – Caldwell | Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 23, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | | UCLA Rivalry | L 58–68 | 9–7 (2–4) | 13 – Tied | 5 – Jenkins | 5 – Caldwell | Galen Center (1,892) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 28, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | at Oregon State | L 61–63 $^{OT}$ | 9–8 (2–5) | 17 – Marshall | 14 – Jenkins | 5 – Caldwell | Gill Coliseum (4,336) Corvallis, OR |
| January 30, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | at No. 19 Oregon | L 48–80 | 9–9 (2–6) | 16 – Jenkins | 9 – Marshall | 5 – Caldwell | Matthew Knight Arena (7,613) Eugene, OR |
| February 4, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | California | L 59–62 | 9–10 (2–7) | 26 – Jenkins | 12 – Marshall | 6 – Caldwell | Galen Center (2,098) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 6, 2022 3:00 pm, P12N | | No. 2 Stanford Pink Game | L 57–83 | 9–11 (2–8) | 20 – Jenkins | 7 – Jenkins | 3 – Caldwell | Galen Center (1,274) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 9, 2022 1:00 pm, Live Stream | | at Utah | L 69–91 | 9–12 (2–9) | 21 – Jenkins | 6 – Marshall | 5 – Caldwell | Jon M. Huntsman Center (1,810) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 11, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | at Washington | W 70–57 | 10–12 (3–9) | 29 – Jenkins | 15 – Jenkins | 2 – Pili | Alaska Airlines Arena (1,505) Seattle, WA |
| February 13, 2022 12:00 pm, P12N | | at Washington State | L 54–57 | 10–13 (3–10) | 18 – Jenkins | 12 – Jenkins | 2 – Tied | Beasley Coliseum (690) Pullman, WA |
| February 18, 2022 7:00 pm, P12N | | Utah | W 83–62 | 11–13 (4–10) | 24 – Sanders | 10 – Marshall | 4 – Tied | Galen Center (689) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 20, 2022 1:00 pm, P12N | | Colorado | L 54–67 | 11–14 (4–11) | 13 – Marshall | 11 – Marshall | 3 – Tied | Galen Center (836) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 24, 2022 4:00 pm, P12N | | at Arizona State | W 60–58 | 12–14 (5–11) | 17 – Tied | 11 – Marshall | 5 – Caldwell | Desert Financial Arena (2,809) Tempe, AZ |
| February 26, 2022 11:00 am, P12N | | at No. 12 Arizona | L 59–68 | 12–15 (5–12) | 19 – Miura | 7 – Reed | 4 – Tied | McKale Center (8,256) Tucson, AZ |
| Pac-12 Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 2, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | (10) | vs. (7) UCLA First Round | L 60–73 | 12–16 | 18 – Sanders | 10 – Marshall | 4 – Caldwell | Michelob Ultra Arena (3,010) Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | —* | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | —* | —^ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | |
*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same. ^Coaches did not release a week 2 poll.

### Awards and honors

* Akunwafo
** McDonald's High School All-American
** Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for High School Girls Player of the Year, 2021 Watch List
** Jordan Brand Classic
* Jackson
** McDonald's High School All-American
** Jordan Brand Classic
* Marshall
** McDonald's High School All-American
** Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for High School Girls Player of the Year, 2021 Watch List
** Jordan Brand Classic
* Oliver
** All Pac-12 Freshman Team Honorable Mention
* Perkins
** Virginia Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year
* Pili
** All Pac-12 First Team
** Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
** 3-time Alaska Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year
** 2-time MaxPreps National Female Athlete of the Year
** Katrina McClain Preseason Watchlist (2020, 2021)
** Naismith Watch List (2020, 2021)
** John R. Wooden Watch List
* Reed
** 2-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team (VCU)
* Sanders
** All Pac-12 Honorable Mention
** All-Big West First Team (UCI)
** Big West Freshman of the Year (UCI)
* Williams
** 2-time USA Today Wisconsin Player of the Year
** Associated Press Wisconsin Player of the Year