SEATTLE — The No. 21 Washington Huskies women's basketball program is in a strong place ahead of its first Big Ten game of the season.

The Huskies will face the No. 16 Southern California (USC) Trojans at 5 p.m. PT on Dec. 7 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Washington will enter the game against its California-based foes 8-0 and coming off a solid five-game homestand in which it beat its opponents by an average score of 23.8 points per game.

The Huskies were at full strength for their last two games against the UC San Diego Tritons and San Jose State Spartans, respectively. Senior all-conference guard Elle Ladine returned to the lineup and started against San Jose State after missing the first six games of the season with an undisclosed season.

Ladine scored nine minutes in 15 minutes against the Tritons and eight points in 18 minutes against the Spartans.

Unfortunately for Washington, Ladine's status for its Big Ten opener against USC could be in question.

Ladine exited the game against San Jose State with just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. She had a noticeable limp while she was heading to the trainer's room. She spent time on the exercise bike next to the Huskies bench but didn't return to the game after exiting.

Washington coach Tina Langley didn't have an update on Ladine after the game due to her not yet visiting the training room.

Not having Ladine would be a big loss for the Huskies against a battle-tested Trojans team.

USC has faced several high-caliber teams this season, including the No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Washington would be down one of its best players against a USC squad that has already been prepped by the high-level competition. The Trojans lost 69-52 to the Gamecocks and 61-59 to the Irish.

The Huskies will have all three of its double-digit scorers available against USC. Junior guard Sayvia Sellers (19.1 points per game), sophomore guard Avery Howell (12.1 points per game) and freshman forward Brynn McGaughy (10.1 points per game) all scored at least 15 points against the Spartans.

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