LOS ANGELES — In their home opener, the Southern California Trojans delivered a dominating performance, defeating Cal Poly 90-35. JuJu Watkins led the charge with 16 points, while freshman Kaleigh Heckel matched that scoring off the bench for the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.

The Trojans, with a record of 2-0, came off a hard-fought 68-66 win against No. 20 Ole Miss in Paris and showed no signs of fatigue. From the very first whistle, they took control of the match, establishing a staggering 40-6 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Sydney Bourland emerged as Cal Poly’s top scorer with 12 points alongside six rebounds, while Mary Carter contributed 11 points in an attempt to keep the Mustangs competitive. As the game progressed into the second quarter, USC maintained their dominance, outscoring Cal Poly 17-11, which resulted in a substantial halftime lead of 57-17. The Trojans’ defense was relentless, preventing the Mustangs from gaining any momentum.

Takeaways from the game indicate that Cal Poly, now with nine new players—eight of whom are freshmen and one graduate transfer—will require time to develop under third-year head coach Shanele Stires. Last season, she guided the team from a mere three wins in 2022 to securing 10 victories in 2023 and 17 wins last year.

For USC, their well-rounded attack featured six players scoring in double figures. Notably, Kaleigh Heckel, a McDonald’s All-American from New York, showcased her talents with an impressive shooting performance—converting six of her ten attempts from the field, hitting three of four free throws, and contributing to her team’s defense with five steals.

A significant highlight of the game was Rayah Marshall reaching the milestone of her 1,000th career point. She accomplished this feat with a layup at 6:52 in the first quarter, joining the ranks of legends like Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, and Tina Thompson. Marshall finished her evening with 15 points and seven rebounds, adding to the Trojans’ comprehensive victory.

An alarming statistic for Cal Poly was the 31 turnovers they committed, which directly resulted in 35 points for the Trojans.

Looking ahead, Cal Poly is scheduled to visit Montana State on Tuesday, while USC will host Cal State Northridge on the same day.