Sophomore guard JuJu Watkins scored a season-best 34 points, and graduate forward Kiki Iriafen added a career-high 30 to lift No. 6 USC (6-1) past Saint Louis (3-5) 104-65 in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Friday night.
Watkins went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line, added six rebounds and made three steals. Iriafen was perfect at the charity stripe, making all 12 free throws and grabbing 12 rebounds. Graduate guard Talia Von Oelhoffen added 13 points for the Trojans.
One of the keys to Iriafen’s performance was her improvement from the free-throw line.
“I think free throws are easy, but it’s probably an easy shot I’ll get all night,” Iriafen said.
“I’ve been kind of rocky with my free throws at the beginning of the season, so I’ve been really focusing on that…I just take a deep breath and then step into the line and hit my shots.”
In the first quarter, the Trojans opened with a quick 7-0 run before Saint Louis put points on the scoreboard. Both teams traded jabs throughout the rest of the period, but USC led 24-15 at the end of the first quarter.
The Trojans picked up their momentum, sparked by a three-pointer from freshman guard Avery Howell and back-to-back buckets from Iriafen, putting USC ahead 31-17. Saint Louis shot 48% in the second quarter while holding the Trojans to 40%, and its bench outscored USC’s reserves 10-5 to cut the deficit to 42-37 at halftime.
Saint Louis posed challenges to the Trojans in the second quarter due to an unexpected zone defense, which USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb addressed by making adjustments at halftime.
“I think it was really the zone,” Gottlieb said. “We weren’t really expecting it at first. We haven’t played against a lot of zones, so the biggest thing for us was recognizing it and then making that adjustment…I think once we had that during halftime, we were able to correct it.”
In the third quarter, USC got the ball rolling with assistance off the bench. The Trojans scored 20 points with the help of Howell, who went 3-for-3 at the three-point line, and 4-for-6 in the paint.. Howell finished with 11 points.
USC kept its foot on the gas, outscoring the Billikens 37-8. Irafren added 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the third quarter. USC took the opportunity to press full-court; the Trojans forced 24 Saint Louis turnovers during the game, leading to 45 points for USC.
“We pressed a lot tonight, which was helpful,” Gottlieb said. “I thought our players were bouncier and quicker to their rotations. Also, Saint Louis plays really fast, which is a strength of theirs.”
USC leveraged its athleticism, which played a big role in its defensive strategy.
“We have an athletic team, and we want to not necessarily just pick someone’s pocket but get turnovers, be in the right spots and have good defensive principles,” Gottlieb said.
“I thought our players really took a step there. They anticipated well, they were active, and when we can do that play in transition, I think that highlights our strengths as well.”
USC wraps up the two-game series as champions of the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. JuJu Watkins was named MVP of the tournament.
The Trojans return to Galen Center for a non-conference matchup against Cal Baptist on Tuesday before starting Big Ten play.