“We didn’t come to Paris to play an easy game,” head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said postgame.
And an easy game it was not. In the first ever meeting between USC and Ole Miss women’s basketball, what looked like a USC blowout turned into a tightly contested 68-66 victory for the Trojans.
It was a highly anticipated season opener for the Trojans, who came into the season ranked No. 3, the team’s highest ranking since 1984.
The game started off shaky offensively, with both teams trading turnovers early. The quarter was defined by a stout Ole Miss defense, which forced USC fouls and turnovers to keep the game within reach. The Trojans gave the ball up eight times in the first frame, with four of those turnovers attributed to star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins.
Despite disjointed team play, USC got strong individual work from graduate forward Kiki Iriafen and freshman guard Kennedy Smith, who led the team with six points in the frame.
“Just knowing that I have that support, that I’m playing with a lot of great players around me, that we all kind of share that responsibility… It’s a blessing,” Watkins said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an adjustment because my job is to score and also to get my teammates the ball where they like it and where they’re most successful.”
USC led for most of the quarter, but persistent defense and offensive rebounding from Ole Miss troubled the Trojans. The Rebels crept back to tie things up 13-13, and when Iriafen sat after picking up her second foul early, USC’s offense ground to a halt. Luckily for the Trojans, Ole Miss shot only 18% from the floor in the period compared to 41% for USC.
Just when it seemed as though the Trojans had survived the first quarter with the lead, graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen picked up her third foul on graduate guard KK Deans behind the arc with just seconds to play. Deans sank the free throws to put Ole Miss up 16-15 after one.
With von Oelhoffen and Iriafen sidelined with foul trouble to start the second quarter, the Trojans looked to their young stars for offensive production.
Freshman guards Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel made solid contributions alongside Smith in the second, holding down the Trojan offense until Watkins started to heat up. And heat up she did: Watkins led USC with 12 points in the second quarter after notching only four in the first. She also added three blocks in the first half.
USC got in the bonus with over five minutes left to play in half, but more turnovers kept the game close. Finally, an 8-0 run towards the end of the quarter capped by two Watkins free throws widened the Trojan lead to 35-24. Seemingly overcoming its early offensive struggles, USC outscored the Rebels by 12 in the period and went into the half up 37-26.
Iriafen subbed back in for the second half and had an immediate impact, scoring eight points in the third quarter and connecting well with Watkins. USC opened up their largest lead of the night at 15 with 8:23 left in the third due to strong play from Iriafen, Watkins and Smith.
But the Ole Miss offense also picked up, behind persistent offense from Deans and graduate forward Madison Scott, who was named First Team All-SEC last season. A 7-0 Rebels run capped by a Deans three brought it back to a 49-43 game with just over three minutes to play in the quarter. USC missed seven of its last eight shots in the third, but was able to stave off Ole Miss and retain a 52-45 lead going into the final frame.
The game continued to intensify in the fourth quarter, as the Rebels forced another Trojan turnover and pulled back within four at 52-48 with 9:06 to play. The two teams continued to trade shots, with Ole Miss creeping closer with every possession thanks to more USC turnovers.
A three from Deans pulled the Rebels within two with just under seven minutes to play, and a free throw from junior forward Christeen Iwuala cut the deficit to one. Another Watkins turnover turned into a Scott lay-in that gave Ole Miss a 57-56 lead with 5:22 left to play, the team’s first lead since early in the second quarter.
“We did some really good things at times, and then all of a sudden it felt like it was the Ole Miss Invitational and we came to play their game, and they were really good at it,” Gottlieb said.
Two free throws from Iriafen quickly gave USC back the lead, but yet another turnover from Watkins gave the ball (and the lead) back to the Rebels. Watkins retaliated with two made free throws of her own, but Ole Miss wasn’t done yet. Deans sank another three, and a Smith turnover turned into a bucket for freshman guard Sira Thienou, extending the Rebel lead to 64-60 with 2:49 to play.
But foul trouble seemed to be the Achilles heel for Ole Miss, sending USC into the bonus with 2:23 left in the game. First it was Iriafen at the line, draining two after a swipe from Deans, then Smith knocked down two off a Thienou foul to tie things up 64-64.
With under two minutes to play, it was Deans with the hot hand for the Rebels, weaving and launching the stepback jumper to go up 66-64. The Trojans missed a bucket on the other end, but junior center Rayah Marshall utilized her quick hands to force a steal for USC. Two clutch free throws from von Oelhoffen tied the score yet again with 21 seconds left.
The Rebels set to inbound the ball, but Iriafen was there, forcing a steal and drawing a foul. She easily drained the two free throws, the 16th and 17th straight made free throws for USC. Ole Miss was unable to score on its final possession, and the Trojans escaped with a 68-66 victory.
Iriafen had a key performance for USC, notching 22 points and 13 rebounds. Watkins led the team with 27 points, and added 10 rebounds, four assists and five blocks, tying her record for blocks in a game. She also contributed nine turnovers.
Gottlieb commented on her team’s ball security, saying, “I really want us to play in flow and have a ton of freedom, but at the same time be able to execute, and I thought we missed the mark there. I don’t think we were able to wrest control back soon enough, and I put that on myself, and we will get better. That said, Ole Miss does a really good job of pressuring.”
The Trojans definitely felt that pressure, as they shot just 9% (1-for-11) from beyond the arc and turned the ball over a whopping 26 times in the matchup.
“We’re new, we’re still learning each other,” Watkins said. “At the end of the day, it comes down to who wants to win the most.”
USC plays its first home game at Galen Center against Cal Poly on Saturday at 2 p.m.