LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The Southern California women’s basketball team delivered a commanding performance from the opening tip, overwhelming Cal Poly 86-39 in a nonconference game Thursday night at Galen Center.

The Women of Troy, improving to 8-3, never trailed and established a tone of defensive dominance that the Mustangs, who fell to 2-9, could not counter. A crowd of 3,511 watched as Southern California built a 25-10 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 45-23 by halftime, effectively deciding the contest long before the final buzzer.

The most important part of the game was the first-quarter onslaught, which set an irreversible trajectory. Southern California opened on a 13-2 run, fueled by stifling defense that forced Cal Poly into rushed shots and early turnovers. The Mustangs managed only two field goals in the first six minutes, while the Women of Troy executed efficiently at both ends. By the time the period ended on a Kara Dunn three-pointer, Southern California had built a 15-point lead, holding Cal Poly to 10 points on a dismal shooting performance. This early explosion removed any doubt about the outcome and allowed Southern California to experiment with rotations and defensive schemes for the remainder of the game.

Londynn Jones, a 5-foot-4 guard from Riverside, California, led all scorers with 28 points in just 23 minutes off the bench. She was a catalyst in the first-half surge, scoring 14 points before the break, and finished an efficient 10-of-15 from the field, including three three-pointers. Her backcourt partner, freshman Jazzy Davidson of Clackamas, Oregon, added 17 points, four assists and a game-high four steals, showcasing the backcourt depth that overwhelmed Cal Poly.

Southern California’s defense was the story, however. The Women of Troy recorded 12 blocked shots and 15 steals, leading to 28 points off 23 Cal Poly turnovers. The interior presence of Laura Williams, who had three blocks and eight points, and Yakiya Milton, who swatted four shots in only nine minutes, completely shut down the paint. Cal Poly was held to a season-low in points and scored just five points in the third quarter as the lead ballooned to 71-28.

Madison Butcher led the Mustangs with 11 points, while Avery Knapp added 10. Cal Poly point guard Alana Goosby dished out seven assists but the team’s offensive struggles were pervasive, shooting under 30 percent from the field for the game.

Southern California also shared the ball effectively, tallying 23 assists on 34 made field goals. Malia Samuels orchestrated the offense with seven assists, while Dunn contributed 12 points and four assists.

The win provided a bounce-back for the Women of Troy after a 79-51 loss to Connecticut in their previous outing. They will travel to face California on Sunday in San Francisco. Cal Poly, which lost 115-28 at UCLA earlier in the week, continues a difficult road stretch at California on Dec. 28.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Southern California had a 99.90 percent probability to win, a projection borne out by the lopsided result. The Women of Troy’s combination of defensive pressure and balanced scoring proved far too much for a struggling Cal Poly squad to handle.