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    USC women land UC Davis leading scorer, add another 5-star freshman
    • April 18, 2026

    The USC women’s basketball team has officially landed its first transfer of the spring this week in 5-foot-8 guard Ryann Bennett, who was the leading scorer at UC Davis last season.

    Bennett posted photos of herself in a USC uniform on Wednesday evening with the caption “#fighton.” Trojans guard Kennedy Smith was one of the first to reply, commenting, “ME AND BESTIE REUINITED.”

    Bennett, who is from Long Beach and prepped at St. Anthony, averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game for the Aggies this season and set a new career-high in points on three separate occasions. She also led the team in steals with 1.6 per game.

    “I have known Ryann for years and she’s always been a competitor, a winner and someone who elevates teams,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a press release on Friday. “She has proven at the collegiate level to also be someone who can score, create for others and bring a high IQ to the court.”

    The rising junior joins a 2026-27 USC roster that is loaded with talent. A healthy JuJu Watkins is expected to return, alongside reigning Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson and Smith, a 6-foot-1 guard who averaged 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds this season.

    Junior guard Malia Samuels, sophomore forward Dayana Mendes, junior forward Yakiya Milton and sophomore forward Vivian Iwuchukwu have each entered the transfer portal, but a talented freshman class will help the Trojans reload quickly.

    USC announced on Wednesday morning that it had signed Spanish forward/center Sara Okeke, making her the third five-star prospect of the freshman class, along with Sitaya Fagan and Saniyah Hall. The trio makes up the nation’s No. 1 2026 recruiting class in ESPN’s rankings.

    “Sara is an elite talent who brings size, athleticism, skill and endless upside to our frontcourt,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a press release. “She is relentless on both sides of the ball, as well as on the glass. Her fit with our program is ideal. Beyond the court, Sara is an exceptional young woman with a story that I know will inspire many as she becomes a fixture in Los Angeles and amongst the USC community.”

    The women’s basketball transfer portal opened on April 6 and will close on April 20.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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