The Ducks played their best game of the Pac-12 season Sunday in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t enough.

Oregon women’s basketball (9-7, 0-3 Pac-12) has now begun its conference season with three consecutive losses following the 54-68 defeat against USC (12-1, 2-1 Pac-12).

The Ducks got off to an early lead inside the Galen Center. Oregon’s Phillipina Kyei scored in the paint often in the first quarter, but missed jumpers kept the game close.

The Trojans struggled to make shots early on. Even their star, Juju Watkins – who is second in Division I basketball in points per game – had a difficult time finding the bottom of the net. Ducks point guard Chance Gray was tasked with guarding Watkins for much of the matchup. Gray missed the previous blowout loss at UCLA but was a big addition on the defensive end of the floor against USC.

Unfortunately for Oregon, it also started to go cold from the field at the end of the first quarter. Against a team like the Trojans, not making the most of the opportunities given is costly.

The first quarter ended with USC going 4-for-5 from the field. While Kyei started hot, hitting her first four shots and crashing the glass, the rest of the team went 2-for-11 in the quarter.

Stopping Kyei became an emphasis for the Trojans in the second quarter. Without the Ducks’ center finding open shots, USC started to pull ahead. It had a seven-point lead over Oregon going into halftime.

The Ducks would not quit. They started the second half with three-pointers by Sofia Bell and Gray to go on a 7-0 run.

The Trojans had a response for everything Oregon threw at them. Even though Watkins wasn’t as efficient from the field, she always finds other ways to impact the game. She still ended with 17 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Grace VanSlooten gave the Ducks hope to finish out the matchup. She scored six points at the end of the third quarter. At the start of the fourth, VanSlooten converted the and-one opportunity to cut the deficit to one point.

Despite VanSlooten’s late push, Oregon went on a field goal drought and began turning the ball over.

It may not look like it in the score column, but the loss was one of the Ducks’ best games of the season. Keeping a tight game with the No. 9 team in the nation isn’t an easy task and neither was holding Watkins under 20 points. 

Still, Oregon will fall to 0-3 against Pac-12 teams. It will have an opportunity to reset as it returns home next weekend.

The Ducks face Arizona State at 7 p.m. on Friday. Then, they’ll have a noon matchup versus the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.