Women’s Basketball | December 17, 2024
#7 USC (10-1) at #4 UConn (9-1)
XL Center | Hartford, Conn. | Saturday, Dec. 21 | 8 p.m. ET
Series Record [since 2002-03]: USC trails 0-3
Last Meeting: L 80-73 [4/1/24 • Portland, Ore.]
TV: FOX (Talent: Jason Benetti, Sarah Kustok, Allison Williams)
STATS
THIS WEEK
No. 7 USC heads to the East Coast this week for a highly anticipated contest at UConn. The Trojans (10-1) will take on the No. 4 Huskies (9-1) in Hartford, Conn., in an 8 p.m. ET tip on Saturday (Dec. 21). The game will be televised on FOX. The battle is a rematch of last year’s NCAA Elite Eight meeting between USC and UConn in Portland, Ore., where the No. 3 seeded Huskies earned a Final Four spot with an 80-73 win over the top-seeded Trojans.
FOLLOW ALONG
USC’s game vs. UConn will broadcast on FOX with Jason Benetti and Sarah Kustok on the call and with Allison Williams on sideline. USC games also are available live on ESPN radio and with audio streamed at USCTrojans.com/listen and the USC Trojans GameDay app with Eli Kleinmann on the radio calls.
IN THE POLLS
USC is ranked No. 7 in the AP poll and USA Today Coaches polls this week (as of Dec. 17). The Trojans were ranked No. 3 in both the AP and USA Today preseason polls and the national polls for the first three weeks of the 2024-25 season marking their highest preseason ranking since 1984 when USC opened at No. 1 after winning back-to-back national championships. USC finished last season ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll.
QUICK HITS
• Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins have scored in double digits in all 11 USC games this season.
• Iriafen and Watkins became just the second USC duo to score 30-plus points each in a game with their efforts vs. SLU on Nov. 29. [The first was Lisa Leslie and Tammy Story vs. Texas on Nov. 25, 1990.]
• HC Lindsay Gottlieb earned her 300th career victory as a head coach in USC’s 123-39 win over CSUN on Nov. 12.
• Watkins scored her 1,000th career point vs. Santa Clara on Nov. 15, becoming the fastest player in USC history to reach the 1,000-point mark in her career (38 games).
• The previous record was 48 games — set by Cheryl Miller in 1983-84.
• Watkins’s 1,000 points in 38 games is the second fastest in Division 1 women’s basketball history. She is the third player to hit the mark in 38 games, behind three other players who did it in 37.
• Watkins is the 30th Trojan to score 1,000 points at USC.
• Watkins broke the USC single-game 3-point record with nine 3-pointers made vs. CBU on Dec. 3.
• Rayah Marshall scored her 1,000th career point on Nov. 9 vs. Cal Poly. She became the 29th USC player to have scored 1,000 or more points as a Trojan.
• Marshall ranks No. 3 all-time at USC in career blocks (253) and No. 8 in career rebounds (944).
• USC has recorded two 100-plus point games this season — the most since two in 1993-94.
• USC’s 124 points scored vs, CSUN is the most points in a game in program history. (previous record: 121 vs. Southern Methodist on 3/1/86)
• The 85-point win vs, CSUN is USC’s largest margin of victory in history. The previous record was 75 points vs. UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 27, 1981.
• USC’s 124 points vs, CSUN is the second most in Big Ten history, behind Purdue’s 129 points vs. Kent State on 12/8/1990.
• USC’s win over No. 20 Ole Miss on Nov. 4 marked the first time in program history that the Trojans have played and beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back season openers.
• Also in that Nov. 4 win, USC had two players record double-doubles (Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins) in a season opener for the first time since 2010 (Briana Gilbreath and Christina Marinacci vs. Gonzaga).
• In finishing 29-6 overall last season, USC recorded its most wins since going 31-5 in 1985-86 under head coach Linda Sharp.
• Last season, USC earned the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
• USC’s 2024 NCAA Elite Eight run was its first since 1994.
• USC’s 23 regular-season wins last season marked its most such victories since 1993-94.
LAST ACTION
USC held visiting Elon to just 30 points — a program record-low scoring total by any USC opponent — as the Trojans tacked up their 10th win of the season. USC’s 88-30 victory featured 10 Trojans on the scoresheet in helping to improve USC to 10-1 overall. Elon goes to 4-5 with the decision at Galen Center. USC held Elon to just 12 points in the first half — third fewest points scored in a half by a USC opponent in program history — while the Trojans shot 43.8 percent from the floor to lead it 40-12 at halftime. The Phoenix had shot 18.5 percent in those first 20 minutes, and were trailing the Trojans on the board 24-15. By the final buzzer, USC had upped its efforts to close out the game having shot 46.6 percent overall to outpace Elon’s final 21.2 percent. USC wrapped up the rebounding game with a 50-30 advantage, and the Trojans scored 36 points off of 25 Phoenix turnovers on the day. Of USC’s four double-digit scorers today, JuJu Watkins led the pack with 26 points on an 11-of-12 effort from the free-throw line. Kiki Iriafen added 18 points for the Trojans, with Kayleigh Heckel tallying 14 and Talia von Oelhoffen at 10. Rayah Marshall led USC on the boards with a season-high 14 rebounds. Elon received a team-high 10 points and seven rebounds from Hannah Dereje.
NOTABLE:
– SO JuJu Watkins (26 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (18) have now both scored in double digits in all 11 USC games this season.
– With 26 points, Watkins moved up to No. 20 all-time in career scoring at USC (1,192 points).
– With five points, SR Rayah Marshall moved up to No. 25 all-time in career scoring at USC (1,084 points).
– Marshall had a season-high 14 rebounds. She has recorded at least one block in 10 of 11 games this season.
– With one 3-pointer made, Watkins has hit at least one three in the past six games. She also made a season-high 11 free throws.
– Elon’s 30 points in the game marks the fewest points scored by a USC opponent this season, and ties the fewest points scored by an opponent all-time in USC history. [last: Cal State L.A. (1975-76)]
– Elon’s 12 points in the first half is the third fewest points scored in a half by a USC opponent in program history and the lowest single-half scoring total by a USC opponent this season.
– USC held Elon to a season-low 30 points and scored an Elon opponent high of 88 points today.
– Elon’s 11 field goals made was the second lowest mark by a USC opponent in history.
– With the 58-point win, USC has won by at least 30 points in eight of its 10 victories this season.
– It is the most 30-point victories by the Trojans in a season since the 1985-86 season, when they accomplished the feat 12 times.
– USC held Elon to single-digit scoring in three quarters and has held the opposition to nine points or less in 14 of 44 quarters this season (31.8 percent).
– USC committed a season-low seven turnovers.
JUJU WINS FIRST BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
JuJu Watkins is the first Trojan to be named a Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, earning the honors on Dec. 9 from USC’s new conference. Watkins has twice landed on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll this season, but this marks her first selection as Player of the Week. Watkins averaged 30.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks across USC’s two wins last week, as the Trojans beat California Baptist 94-52 at Galen Center before opening Big Ten play with their first true road game in a 66-53 victory at Oregon. Against CBU, Watkins scored 40 points and broke USC’s program record for 3-pointers made in a game with nine threes landed. Her 9-of-11 mark from beyond the arc set a new career best for Watkins, who also committed no turnovers in the win. Her 40-point effort was the second most scored by any D1 player this season, and made her just the third Big Ten player in the last 25 years to score 40 points and make nine 3-pointers in a single game. It was Watkins’ 16th career game scoring 30 or more points. At Oregon, Watkins battled foul trouble and still emerged with a game-high 21 points in just under 28 minutes played. That marked the 35th time in her 43 career games played that Watkins has scored 20 or more points. Also that week, Watkins earned two sets of national honors, named the Associated Press National Player of the Week as well as one of five USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Players of the Week.
OUI WIN IN PARIS
USC stood its ground from the free-throw line to pull off a 68-66 win over No. 20 Ole Miss, fighting back from down four points in the fourth with a stubborn stand to open up the 2024-25 campaign with a victory in Paris, France. The Trojans were playing in the first official collegiate basketball game of the season, taking the stage at Adidas Arena in Paris in an Aflac Oui-Play Game. USC heated up in the second quarter offensively and stayed stingy on defense to turn a three-point deficit into an 11-point halftime advantage. The Trojans shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of action while holding the Rebels to 17.9 percent, and USC had the edge on the boards 26-25 by the break. JuJu Watkins had 16 points on the board, and three USC freshmen also were on the scoresheet in their Trojan debuts by halftime. Ole Miss got some 3-pointers to go in the second half to cut into the Trojan lead, but USC was composed from the free-throw line in the fourth, going 14-of-14 to counter the Rebels’ late push. Ole Miss outscored USC 40-31 in the second half, but the Trojans pulled together to net the win. USC finished up the game shooting 40 percent overall from the floor, going 23-of-29 from the free-throw line and outrebounding Ole Miss 48-43. The Rebels wrapped at 29.7 percent from the floor, despite a 30-percent showing (7-of-23) from beyond the arc. The Trojans were paced by double-doubles from Kiki Iriafen and Watkins. Iriafen pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to go with her 22 points, and Watkins tallied a game-high 27 points with 10 rebounds. USC freshman Kennedy Smith also hit double digits in her Trojan debut, scoring 12 points. Ole Miss was led in scoring by Kristen Deans’ 19 points and 14 from Madison Scott.
NOTABLE:
– Three USC freshman made their debuts: Kennedy Smith (starter), Kayleigh Heckel and Avery Howell.
– Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins both had double-doubles for USC, marking the first time since 2010 that two Trojans recorded double-doubles in a USC season opener.
– The game vs. No. 20 Ole Miss marked the eighth time USC has faced a ranked opponent in a season opener in program history.
– It is just the second time in program history that USC has faced a ranked opponent in back-to-back season openers — Last season, USC opened with a win over No. 7 Ohio State; USC beat Old Dominion in the 1986-87 season opener and lost to Texas in the 1987-88 season opener).
– This is the first time that USC has beaten a ranked opponent in consecutive season openers.
WATCH THIS
Four Women of Troy are in line for top honors this season, with Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall, Talia von Oelhoffen and JuJu Watkins all named to the 2024-25 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time. This is the second Watch List selection for returning Trojans Marshall and Watkins, and the first for USC newcomers Iriafen and von Oelhoffen.
A 6-3 forward who was named the 2024 Katrina McClain National Power Forward of the Year, Iriafen has joined the USC women’s basketball program as a grad transfer out of Stanford. A 2024 All-America Honorable Mention recipient after a standout junior season with the Cardinal, Iriafen continues to raise the bar for herself with her first Naismith Watch List selection coming soon after her first pick as an AP Preseason All-American. Iriafen also was recently named to the 20-player 2025 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Watch List.
Marshall, a 6-4 senior center/forward, enters her final season at USC holding 996 career points and 35 double-doubles. Her second stint on the Naismith Watch List comes after earning All-Pac-12 Team honors as a sophomore and Honorable Mention as a junior. She also was named to the NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team for her work in helping USC reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years. Marshall also was recently named to the 20-player Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Watch List.
An All-Pac-12 Team selection at Oregon State, von Oelhoffen helped the Beavers reach the NCAA Elite Eight last year and now starts her first season at USC with a spot on the Naismith Watch List as well as the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. A 5-11 guard, von Oelhoffen dished out 5.0 assists per game last season while averaging 10.7 points per game for the Beavers. She earned 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention and All-Pac-12 Team honors. Oelhoffen also was recently named to the 20-player Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List.
A 6-2 guard, Watkins was the National Freshman of the Year and the No. 2 scorer in the nation last season. She now enters her sophomore campaign with the Women of Troy having already tallied at least 30 points in 14 games — a USC single-season record. Watkins was a unanimous selection for this year’s AP Preseason All-America list. Last year, she was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Shooting Guard of the Year. Watkins also was recently named to the 20-player Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List for 2024-25.
GOLDEN GIRLS
Representing the United States, USC freshmen Kayleigh Heckel and Kennedy Smith — both McDonald’s All-Americans — teamed up to help Team USA win gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Colombia, keeping alive and well the U.S. streak of titles at the event. The pair combined for 31 points in the final game as the USA won its 11th straight gold with an 80-69 victory over Canada. A 5-9 guard out of Port Chester, N.Y., Heckel averaged 12.8 points along with 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game as Team USA went undefeated in AmeriCup action. A 6-1 guard hailing from Chino, Calif., Smith led Team USA with 18 points in the gold-medal game, including a solo six-point scoring surge that helped build a key late lead. She’d finish out the event having averaged 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
BRING ON THE BIG TEN
Entering its first season in the Big Ten Conference, USC landed top honors from its new league, picked No. 1 in the Preseason Rankings to go along with JuJu Watkins’ selection as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Watkins also joins fellow Trojan Kiki Iriafen on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. The Women of Troy were selected to top the Big Ten in 2024-25, earning the No. 1 spot ahead of No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Indiana in both the coaches and media preseason polls. All five were NCAA Tournament teams last season, with USC having made the deepest run of the group with its Elite Eight appearance. UCLA and Indiana reached the 2024 Sweet Sixteen, while Ohio State got to the Second Round, and Maryland played in the First Round. The Women of Troy are set to host a competitive lineup of Big Ten teams at Galen Center and will challenge the remaining opponents on the road. USC also has a home-and-away series against crosstown rival UCLA on tap. The Trojans will face two programs — Illinois and Wisconsin — for the first time, while other matchups offer the first visits to Galen Center for several Big Ten foes as well as the Trojans’ first trips to several road venues.
NOTABLE:
– As USC enters the Big Ten, it holds a 27-23 all-time record against current Big Ten teams (record does not include new members Oregon, UCLA and Washington)
– USC will be facing both Illinois and Wisconsin for the first time in program history.
– The 2024-25 meetings will feature the first-ever visits to Galen Center for Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.
– USC will be playing road games at Indiana, Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin for the first time.
WE GOT GOTTLIEB
Entering her fourth season at the helm of a program on the rise, USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season. Last season, Gottlieb guided her Women of Troy to a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Named a finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title and to the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986. By the close of USC’s first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years, Gottlieb’s team had posted a 29-6 overall record — marking the most wins since Linda Sharp’s 1985-86 team. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. USC had been picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12, but ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLE
For the second straight year, USC had multiple Trojans selected in the WNBA Draft, with 2024 picks going to grad students McKenzie Forbes (Los Angeles Sparks) and Kaitlyn Davis (New York Liberty). Coming off key leadership roles in USC’s run to the NCAA Elite Eight, Forbes and Davis were selected in the third round (April 15) as the 28th and 35th overall picks, respectively. Both were transfers to USC from the Ivy League in 2023, and both have further solidified their places in the Trojan history books to make it a count of 18 players selected for the WNBA out of USC. Two Women of Troy — Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie — were Inaugural Elite Selections to the WNBA in 1997. Additionally, 14 other Trojans have been drafted out of USC, including two picks in 2023 (Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika) and now two more in 2024 with Forbes’ and Davis’ selections. This is the fourth time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. In 2012, USC had Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath picked, and in 1997 Pam McGee and Tina Thompson were USC draftees.
LAST SEASON
In 2023-24, USC earned the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986 and made a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. Picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 Conference, USC ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship. The 2023-24 Trojans finished the season at 29-6 overall, marking the most wins by the program since 1985-86. USC’s 2023-24 season was also highlighted by a standing-room-only crowd at Galen Center to see the Trojans beat rival UCLA, McKenzie Forbes named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a record-setting 51-point game by freshman JuJu Watkins in USC’s first win at Stanford since 2002-03 and the honor of hosting — and winning — the NCAA First and Second Rounds to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
THE PLACE TO BE.
The University of Southern California is the undeniable, unequaled and unquestioned top destination for student-athletes. USC is both home to 136 national team championships and one of the top-ranked private research institutions in the world. Located in the heart of the thriving Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is situated in one of the most diverse and visible media markets in the world. USC’s campus is driving distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California, the majestic mountains range of the Sierra Nevada, the sprawling splendor of the Redwood and Sequoia national forests, and the mysterious Mojave Desert. The student-athlete experience at USC is truly unmatched.
SIGNED!
USC is getting another injection of high-level talent with the signing of Jazzy Davidson to join USC as a freshman for 2025-26. She is the No. 3 recruit in the nation and has been a member of Team USA’s U18 National Teams. A native of Clackamas, Ore., Davidson was a semifinalist for the 2023-24 Naismith Trophy High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a junior at Clackamas High. A 6-foot-1 left-handed guard/forward, Davidson was also the 2022-23 Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore as Clackamas won the 2023 Class 6A state championship. This past summer, she was a member of the United States’ gold-medalist U18 team at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup alongside two current USC freshmen — Kayleigh Heckel and Kennedy Smith. Davidson averaged 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-high 2.7 steals per game at the event, and became the first U18 player to go a perfect 100 percent from the floor with five or more attempts in a game since 2004 with her outing for Team USA against Mexico. In August, Davidson also was named to the 2024 USA 3×3 Women’s U18 National Team, winning gold again with Team USA at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup. •
