Telepeer

NCAA Tournament: Jazzy Davidson propels USC past Clemson in OT

March 21, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Eighth-seeded Clemson (21-11) and ninth-seeded USC (17-13) battled at Colonial Life Arena well into overtime Saturday afternoon until back-to-back 3-pointers by Jazzy Davidson and a handful of free throws gave the Trojans a 71-67 victory.

The Tigers were down by one when USC’s Kara Dunn was fouled while making a Euro step layup with 53 seconds left, then hit the ensuing foul shot to switch the advantage to 61-59 in the Trojans’ favor.

Mia Moore’s two free throws tied the game again with 50 seconds on the clock. Dunn got tangled up with defenders, and Clemson got possession of the ball with four seconds on the clock. Moore launched a shot from nearly half court that swished through the net – but half a second after the clock ran out.

USC (18-13) outscored Clemson 10-6 in overtime to finish the game, with freshman Jazzy Davidson hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. The second one beyond the arc from the right put the Trojans up 67-64 with 1:05 remaining. Dunn and Kennedy Smith each made both their free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

The Trojans will play top-seeded South Carolina (32-3) in the second round Monday. Clemson (21-12) and USC had their eye on rematched with the Gamecocks after losing to them earlier this season – and the Tigers especially so, considering their intense in-state rivalry.

USC lost to the Gamecocks 69-52 on Nov. 15 at Crypto.com Arena.

Davidson, who was cleared for the tournament after undergoing an MRI on her arm due to an injury in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, scored 31 points in her tournament debut, well above her per-game average of 17.6.

She appeared to be wearing a brace or wrap from her shoulder to the middle of her bicep, but otherwise didn’t seem to be physically limited in the game.

Dunn scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Kennedy Smith scored 12 points while pulling down six rebounds.

Taylor Johnson-Matthews scored 16 points for the Tigers.

Clemson entered the game with the top-scoring defense in the ACC and had been holding opponents to 58.7 points or less per game. In 19 out of 32 games this season, the Tigers limited the opposition to 60 points or less and seemed to be on pace to do so again after USC’s uninspiring start to the game.

The Tigers appeared to be the more collected team – perhaps due to playing in their home state – as they mounted a 12-5 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Raven Thompson.

USC was able to catch up 14-13 by the end of the first quarter. Dunn banked a 3-pointer from the left side to open the scoring in the second quarter for the Trojans’ first lead of the game.

Davidson boosted her offensive output to score nine points in the second quarter after being held to two in the first. A 3-pointer and a layup from the freshmen kept USC in the lead, 24-21, midway through the second frame.

The Tigers’ defense resettled as the clock ticked down and 6-foot-5 center Morgan Lee checked into the game with 4:29 to go. The defense surged with her in the rotation and held USC scoreless for roughly three minutes.

Lee scored Clemson’s final seven points of the quarter as USC went into halftime down 28-26 after hitting 35.5% from the floor and 21.4% from beyond the arc.

Clemson’s guard duo of Moore and Rusne Augustinaite had been leading the offense this season with 13.5 points and 10.9 points per game, respectively, but neither had scored a single point going into the final quarter.

Their supporting cast had pulled Clemson ahead again, 43-39, by the end of the third.

Smith, who was playing with four fouls, hit a jumper to tie the game at 56-all with 3:10 to play. Davidson tapped in a put-back layup off a missed 3-pointer by Dunn for a 58-56 lead. Moore neutralized their efforts with a 3-pointer that gave Clemson a 59-58 lead.

USC was competing in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and 20th overall in program history. Clemson was appearing in the tournament for the first time in seven years under second-year Tigers head coach Shawn Poppie.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

News Details

NCAA Tournament: Jazzy Davidson propels USC past Clemson in OT

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS