LOS ANGELES — Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s message to her USC women’s basketball team was brief, but it asked for a lot. “The full 40” was written on the board this week, urging the Trojans to push for a full-game effort after seeing the last two games slip out of their grasp late. “I’ve s hown them clips of two minutes here or three minutes here, and the way that possessions affect one another,” Gottlieb said. “And they’ve been so great in the response is now in the huddles, it’s like OK, that was their run. No more.” USC finally unlocked four complete quarters on Thursday night, beating No. 8 Iowa, 81-69, at the Galen Center. It was Iowa’s first Big Ten loss of the season and first loss overall since falling to No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 20, snapping an eight-game winning streak. The Trojans, meanwhile, are back in the win column after back-to-back losses to No. 13 Michigan State and No. 9 Michigan. “This was really, really needed,” Gottlieb said. “I keep telling them it’s confidence and humility. The humility to know we can’t give up 23 second-chance points, or we can’t turn it over. But it’s the confidence to know these are Top 10 teams and we just have to keep doing what we need to do to be where we need to be.” Kara Dunn scored 25 points for the Trojans (12-9 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) and surpassed 1,500 for her career to go with 12 rebounds and five assists. The 5-foot-11 senior guard is in her first year with USC after transferring from Georgia Tech, and the move is benefiting her. “Going into the transfer portal, I wanted to feel like I had a coach that had confidence in me and Coach Lindsay’s giving me all that and more,” Dunn said. “Being able to play my version of basketball and how I do with the Trojan uniform means so much. To be a Trojan woman – it means a lot to me. I’m glad I’m able to do that for one year.” Jazzy Davidson added 21 points and a team-high eight assists, while Londynn Jones scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Five-foot-6 junior guard Malia Samuels did not play and was out with an undisclosed injury, according to a social media post published by the team an hour before tipoff. Samuels had started in every game except for two this season and was averaging 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals in her third year as a Trojan. USC still figured out ways to control the game without her. Iowa (18-3, 9-1) turned the ball over nine times in the first half and USC scored 13 points off of those turnovers to build a 43-37 advantage by halftime. Davidson grabbed a high pass meant for an Iowa player and handed the ball off to Dunn, who finished the job with a jump shot just two minutes into the game. But it wasn’t the paint where the Trojans established their dominance – it was on the perimeter. USC shot 6 for 17 from 3-point range in the first half and 10 for 27 for the game. Dunn shot 3 for 6 from long range in the first half and already had 16 points by the intermission. Iowa cut the USC lead to 52-49 on Journey Houston’s layup off Taylor Stremlow’s steal and behind-the-back pass midway through the third quarter, but the Trojans closed the period in dominant fashion. They went on an 18-2 run to outscore the Hawkeyes 27-14 in the third and extend their lead to 70-51. Kennedy Smith’s aggressive style of play was a major factor down the stretch. “Kennedy’s second-half response today was incredibly important for us,” Gottlieb said. “I know she didn’t have the offensive first half that she wanted. I didn’t say much, but I just went up to her at halftime and said, keep attacking. Keep being aggressive.” Davidson logged her seventh assist of the game when she passed the ball to Smith for a Euro-step layup with 2:45 left in the third, and Smith kept her rhythm going 15 seconds later with a layup as the shot clock expired. Smith scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half and Jones added eight of her own, scoring from multiple levels. One moment Jones was making a 3-point shot and the next, she was driving in for a layup. Iowa outscored USC 18-11 in the fourth quarter but the Trojans had built enough of a lead to close out their fourth win against a ranked opponent this season. “We really felt like we needed this one,” Davidson said. “And I feel like we’ve had a lot of great practices, and I feel like just the team morale is really good right now, despite the losses. It’s good for us to have this win moving forward into February and building on it.” Journey Houston had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench to pace Iowa. USC starting forward Vivian Iwuchukwu exited the game with an apparent injury with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter. She was not putting any weight on her right leg and was helped off the court by two people. Iwuchukwu was later seen on the bench with ice on her right thigh. She had started in the last three games and is averaging 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds this season. ...read more read less