Time and again, Illinois women’s basketball seems to defy expectations.

After battling No. 3 UCLA and losing 70-55 in the first of a two-game Los Angeles road trip, the 25th-ranked Illini traveled across town for a matchup with JuJu Watkins and her fourth-ranked USC Trojans. 

Similar to the UCLA showing earlier this week, Illinois (21-7, 11-6 Big Ten) gave USC (25-2, 15-1 Big Ten) everything it could handle – this time behind a massive double-double from Kendall Bostic (14 points and 16 rebounds) – before eventually falling 76-66 to the Trojans.

USC was able to jump out to a quick 24-15 lead in the opening frame, in large part due to Watkins’ ability to get to the line while forcing Illinois’ Adalia McKenzie into a couple of early fouls. That sent McKenzie, who had played all 40 minutes in three straight games, to the bench for the first time since Feb. 9.

But Genesis Bryant (22 points) led the Illini charge to end the first quarter, putting the finishing touches on her 11-point frame with a three-point buzzer beater that cut the deficit to just four points heading into the second quarter.

In a game of runs, the Trojans built their lead back up to 11 points midway through the quarter before Illinois locked down defensively, holding the home team to an eight-minute field goal drought that crept into the second half.

Despite going into the break down 40-36, the Illini used their stifling defense to push themselves to a 42-41 lead before the Trojans turned up their own defensive heat.

Taking advantage of their length and athleticism, the Trojans put a full-court press on the Illini, forcing five turnovers in the third quarter and sparking a 12-2 run that helped them carry a 57-47 lead into the fourth.

Illinois managed to hang around, but Watkins, who scored 22 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line, proved to be too much. Watkins rounded out her impressive line with five boards and three assists, while showing her defensive presence with a game-high four blocks.

The 6-foot-3 Kiki Iriafen put together a stellar performance of her own for the Trojans, using her size advantage to dominate the Illini on the interior all afternoon en route to a 22-point performance.

Although the Illini lacked the size, length and athleticism to match up with the Trojans, this Shauna Green-led team continued to show its resilience. Playing with essentially a six-player rotation, Illinois still managed to play USC even on the glass (38-38), and hold the Trojans’ high-octane offense to just 42.4 percent from the field.

After two commendable efforts in Los Angeles, the Illini get a well-deserved week off ahead of next Sunday’s home date and season finale against Michigan. Next, they set their sights on a Big Ten Tournament run in Indianapolis.

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