Sergio Guerra, Sports Editor/Photographer 

22 MARCH 2025 – UNCG Women’s Basketball’s campaign comes to an end in the first round of March Madness after facing No. 1 University of Southern California. UNCG Alumni organized a watch party at Kickback Jack’s on Battleground so that former and current Spartans could watch on as UNCG attempted to add to its historic season in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be on the day, and the Spartans fell 71-25 in their second-ever March Madness appearance and first in 27 years. 

The UNCG Spartans entered this match with an unbeaten home record (14-0), a 14-game winning streak, and both SOCON regular-season and tournament championships. With only one loss in conference play all season, the Spartans were hopeful and determined to make a statement.  

The first quarter and the beginning of the second were the closest that it was all game. UNCG’s defensive structure was able to hold the USC Trojans to just 12 points in the opening quarter while the Spartans responded with eight points. However, the dynamic of the game quickly changed in the second quarter when USC found its footing and was able to launch into a 17-point lead by halftime (USC 28 – 11 UNCG). UNCG was not able to recover as USC star JuJu Watkins finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. 

UNCG’s offensive presence was absent throughout the game, with head coach Trina Patterson stating, “What we are really good at is defense. Thought we accomplished that today. Offensively, we didn’t hit the mark.” UNCG was only able to score 2 points in the paint compared to USC’s 40. Nya Smith (7 points) and Khalis Cain (6 points) led the Spartans in points, and the Spartans went 7-54 in field goals (13%). 

UNCG Alumni put together a watch party at Kickback Jack’s in Greensboro so that fans of UNCG Basketball could come together and celebrate the accomplishments of the program and cheer the women who were representing the school on the national stage. The watch party was attended by Angie Polk-Jones, UNCG Athletics Hall of Famer, who led her team to a third-place finish in the NCAA Division III Championship as a junior.  

USC keeps dancing and will face the ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of March Madness. Early match health concerns for JuJu Watkins worried USC as the sophomore was seen shaking her left hand regularly and limping in the third quarter. But at the end of the match, she stated, “It’s the end of the season. Body’s a little banged up but on to the next.” 

This result does not diminish what the UNCG Spartans have been able to accomplish this season. At the beginning of the campaign, the team put together a vision board that included a goal to make it to the NCAA tournament. Not only did they do that, but they did it emphatically with one of the most successful seasons in program history. This group of women and this season will be remembered by UNCG Basketball fans for years to come.