GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Tessa Johnson was completely unfazed as she strolled to the free throw line with a chance to secure a victory in a meeting between the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country.

With South Carolina clinging to a two-point lead with 13 seconds left, Johnson, a senior who has been to three championship games and won the 2024 national title, buried both free throws to help seal an 89-85 win over No. 3 Southern California.

Afterward, Johnson seemed as excited to sit next to coach Dawn Staley in the postgame news conference as she was to hit the game-clinching free throws. She said she wasn't aware she'd set a new career high with 28 points.

"I didn't know that," Johnson said. "I was just trying to win."

Projected to be an early first-round pick, Johnson carried South Carolina when it fell behind by eight in the first quarter before the rest of her teammates found their groove. She finished shooting 9-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and was 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

Johnson became the first South Carolina player to score at least 25 points against an AP top-five opponent since Aliyah Boston scored 26 in 2023 win over UConn.

"I hope that all the WNBA scouts are watching her because she's adding to her game," Staley said, adding that Johnson is "probably the best shooter in the country and now you can add scoring because she's attacking the rim right now as well."

The Gamecocks watched an 11-point lead with 3:01 remaining quickly evaporate as JuJu Watkins scored 11 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Trojans. Watkins had the opportunity to tie the score with 15 seconds left on a fastbreak layup, but South Carolina guard Jordan Lee chased her down for a block from behind.

Officials initially ruled it was Southern California's ball, but Staley called for a review that gave possession back to South Carolina. Staley said her video coordinator, who attended the game despite having a wife at home recovering from surgery, made the play of the game for suggesting she challenge during a timeout called by the Trojans.

"Jordan made the spectacular play," Staley said. "She stayed with it. I think she was behind the play, and our expectation is for her to do that because she is such an elite defender."

Watkins was visibly frustrated postgame, sitting with her arms crossed and staring at nothing in particular during the team's media session. She had her eighth career 25-point game against an AP top-five opponent, breaking a tie with Caitlin Clark (7) for the most by any player in Division I since 1999-2000.

"We just got a lot to work on," Watkins said. "I don't really know what it's supposed to look like. It's a new team. We're really like working through our weaknesses and things like that. So there's no like blueprint of what it's supposed to look like. I think it's just a matter of trying to get better every day."

With the WNBA draft lottery set for Sunday night, much of the league had its eyes on Bon Secours Wellness Arena, and representatives from multiple teams were in the building. Watkins is expected to be the top pick if she opts to enter the 2027 draft, but the Southern California and South Carolina rosters are loaded with future WNBA talent. The two teams also featured the top two 2026 recruiting classes in the nation, with the Trojans No. 1 and the Gamecocks No. 2.

Joyce Edwards finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina, and teammate Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 12 rebounds. Edwards became the third player since 2020 to have a 20-point double-double in an AP top-three matchup.

Saniyah Hall posted 17 points and nine rebounds for the Trojans. Kennedy Smith chipped in 15 points and Jazzy Davidson finished with 14.

"I've never not believed in our talent, but you don't know exactly what you're going to show up like on a stage like this," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "And I thought there were some really good things.

"We are not a finished product, and I think to measure ourselves against the No. 1 team in the country, a great team, gives us some really good stuff."

As South Carolina stood up to leave their news conference, Kitts had one last message.

"Now you guys can stop saying who the real USC is," she said, "because we are."