LOS ANGELES — The No. 7 USC women’s basketball team shrugged off a slow start, passed up visiting No. 8 Ohio State and then hit the gas to collect an 84-59 win over the Buckeyes tonight at Galen Center. Three Trojans recorded double-doubles in the win — the first such effort since 2009 —to help propel USC to a key Big Ten win, improving to 21-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play. Ohio State is now 20-3, 9-3.

USC overcame an early five-point deficit with a composed response and a concerted effort on the boards. USC gripped a 34-26 halftime advantage with help from 30 rebounds and a 32.1 percent shooting effort to outpace Ohio State’s 30.6 percent from the floor and 15 rebounds by the break. The Trojans continued to dominate on the rebounding front, hauling in 62 boards to mark the most in a game since 1999. USC finished out the game shooting 39.7 percent from the field, while the Buckeyes wrapped at 29.4 percent.

USC’s onslaught was keyed by Kiki Iriafen’s game-high 24 points along with 13 rebounds, joined in the double-double camp by Kennedy Smith with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds and JuJu Watkins on 17 points and 10 rebounds. Rayah Marshall also hit double digits in the win with 10 points while adding four blocks for the Trojan cause. Ohio State also finished with four in double digits: Taylor Thierry (14 points), Cotie McMahon (13), Chance Gray (12) and Jaloni Cambridge (11).

USC slipped into an early 7-2 hole before hitting its first bucket from the floor on a 3-pointer from Kennedy Smith at 4:49. That snarled the game up at 7-7, and then USC answered a Buckeye bucket with a 3-pointer care of another USC freshman in Avery Howell, who had USC on top 10-9 less than a minute later. The freshman trained chugged right along for USC, who had Kayleigh Heckel take it to the hoop for a gutsy score and a 12-9 USC advantage at 3:05. Kiki Iriafen struck in the paint to deliver a 14-11 lead for USC, and that would hold to the close of the first. Ohio State opened the second with a score, only to see Rayah Marshall and Iriafen deliver down low for the Trojans to go up 18-13. JuJu Watkins’ first points of the night came on a successful trip to the stripe, giving USC a 23-18 lead at 5:34. Smith’s second three of the day fell at 4:05 for the Trojan cause for USC’s largest lead, but then USC hit the gas two minutes later with a 6-0 surge topped off with a score from Iriafen for a 34-24 USC advantage. Ohio State struck from the stripe before the half came to a close leaving it as a 34-26 margin at the break. 

Iriafen was the No. 1 producer for USC to open the third, scoring the Trojans’ first six points of the half to get a 40-30 lead on the board. She’d get tagged with her third foul soon after, but USC was undeterred. Howell hit her second three soon after, and Marshall followed with a putback for a 45-32 USC lead four minutes deep into the third. Upon Iriafen’s return just under five minutes later, she nailed a jumper for her 20th points of the night. Watkins converted on a three-point play, and then Heckel served up four straight points to tug the Trojans ahead 57-43 in the final minute of the third. Watkins had the last word of the quarter, striking in the paint to get USC a 59-45 lead entering the fourth. Smith worked her way to her first career double-double during that stretch, drilling a key 3-pointer at 4:15 to get to 12 points on the night and get USC a 69-53 advantage. Only free throws would fall for the Buckeyes in the the final 3:40 of play while USC pressed on to an 84-59 topped off by a Watkins 3-pointer to end the night’s action.

NEXT: 

USC sets up for its first Big Ten Conference meetings against familiar foes next week. First up, the Trojans host crosstown rival UCLA in a 7 p.m. clash on Thursday (Feb. 13) at Galen Center. From there, USC heads to Seattle to visit Washington for a 4 p.m. contest on Sunday (Feb. 16).

 

NOTABLE:

– USC’s 62 rebounds is a season-high, the highest number of rebounds recorded this century and the highest since Dec. 11, 1999 against Sacramento State.  USC’s 32 rebound advantage (62-30) is a season game high.  It is also USC’s biggest rebound advantage in a game since outrebounding Hope International by 33 on Nov. 13, 2015 (52-19).

– USC is now 3-1 this season vs. top-10 opponents.

– This was the second game of the season between top-10 opponents at Galen Center (last was Nov. 23, 2024 vs. then-No. 6 Notre Dame)

– With 13 points and 13 rebounds, FR Kennedy Smith recorded the first double-double of her career.

– Smith set a career-high in rebounds (13), and matched her career highs in assists (5), blocks (2) and 3-pointers made (3).

– With 24 points tonight, GS Kiki Iriafen has scored in double digits in 22 of the 23 games she has played this season.

– Also with a season-high 13 rebounds, Iriafen recorded her eighth double-double of the season and eighth game of the season with 20+ points.

– With 17 points, SO JuJu Watkins has scored in double figures in all 22 games this season.

– Watkins is now tied at No. 14 all-time in scoring at USC with 1,469 career points.

– Also with 10 rebounds, Watkins recorded her fifth double-double this season and 14th as a Trojan.

– This is the first time since Dec. 3, 2009 (vs. Long Beach State) that three Trojans recorded double-doubles in the same game.

– With one 3-pointer made, Watkins has hit at least one three in USC’s last 18 games.

– With four blocks tonight, SR Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 20 games she has played (49 total in that span).

– USC is now 19-0 when scoring 70 or more points and 18-0 when holding an opponent to under 70 points.

– With this win, USC moves to 18-0 when outrebounding an opponent.

– USC scored an Ohio State opponent season-high of 84 points tonight.  The last time Ohio State allowed more points in a game was the 2024 regular season finale at Iowa on March 3, when it surrendered 93 points on Caitlin Clark’s senior day (93-83 loss). The Buckeyes entered tonight’s action allowing only 59.1 points per game.

–  USC had an assist on all nine first-half baskets and on its first 10 baskets in the game. USC ended up with 18 assists on 27 baskets.

– This is USC’s 15th game beating an opponent by 20+ points.

– With this win, USC is now 5-4 all-time against Ohio State.

–  USC outscored Ohio State 18-0 on second-chance points.