It took USC a short moment to settle in against Fresno State, but there was no looking back once it did.
The Trojans (9-1, 1-0 Big Ten) turned the ball over six times in the first quarter but found their footing to end the frame, to the tune of a 10-point lead. USC’s dominance continued over the next half hour, as the team handed the Bulldogs (7-4) an 89-40 beatdown.
The bout exhibited the Trojans’ all-too-common scheme this season: score until you can’t anymore. Still without freshman guard Kennedy Smith, the starting lineup carried the load and feasted in the paint. The duo of graduate forward Kiki Iriafen and sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was virtually unstoppable, combining for 45 points, but graduate guard Talia von Oelhoffen struggled — shooting 1-for-6 — after coming off three consecutive double-figure performances.
Senior center Rayah Marshall was an integral part of the paint effort with seven total points. She also did the bulk of the team’s dirty work on the other end, nabbing 13 rebounds with four blocks.
Iriafen’s double-double was her fifth of the year and fourth in as many games. The former Stanford standout also hasn’t shot below 50% in her past five appearances. Watkins reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season.
“Rebounding is the easiest way for me to get on the glass. It’s kind of hard for me to make a move because I’m being double- or triple-teamed,” Iriafen said postgame. “Being an offensive rebounder, defensive rebounder, with [Marshall] as well is the best way I can help my team right now.”
The Trojans haven’t relied on the 3-pointer much this season and continued this trend against the Bulldogs. Freshman guard Avery Howell knocked down three deep shots off the bench, but for most of the game, USC played it simple, taking what the defense gave them. The Cardinal and Gold scored 42 points inside the paint.
“Being ready whenever the ball flies out, or even off rebounds when the ball is popping out to the 3-point line … That’s what we need to execute,” Howell said.
Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb didn’t shy away from praising Howell’s vocalness on the court.
“[Howell] is a really good communicator,” Gottlieb said. “I knew that was, I knew that was a characteristic, but the fact that it’s come with her right to college as a freshman is pretty unique.”
The Trojans’ defensive effort shouldn’t be scoffed at either. After allowing at least 50 points in each of the previous six games, USC held Fresno State to a fraction of that feat and only six points during the third quarter.
The Bulldogs executed a perimeter approach and went a somewhat efficient 9-for-20 from deep, but USC’s defense was stubborn inside the arc, only allowing four field-goal makes.
“We really shared the ball, tried to limit our turnovers, which we did,” Gottlieb said. “We keep going in the right direction, which is a good place to be.”
USC commenced Big Ten play against Oregon (7-3, 0-1) on Saturday, but the matchup with Fresno State began a three-game set with the Trojans’ final non-conference opponents of the regular season.
With the lone loss to Notre Dame on the back burner, USC has won five straight contests with plenty of tough opponents approaching.
The non-conference stretch includes a trip to Hartford for an Elite Eight rematch with UConn (8-0), in what should be one of USC’s toughest battles of the season. But the Trojans should have lighter work before the East Coast trip when they first face Elon (4-4) at noon on Sunday.