The No. 4 USC Trojans defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 82-69 at home on Thursday, extending their winning streak to 15 games. Despite Minnesota’s efforts, the Golden Gophers were unable to stop the Trojans.
“[We] found ourselves in a hole after the first quarter, and tried to dig ourselves out of it,” Minnesota coach Dawn Plitzuweit said postgame. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end.”
From the opening tip, the Trojans held the lead and applied pressure. Trojan star Kiki Iriafen presented the Golden Gophers with an ultimatum: double-team her and leave USC’s shooters open, or take her one-on-one and find out why the graduate forward is on the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List, Wooden Award Watch List, and Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Watch List.
Freshman guard Kennedy Smith hit the ground running early, knocking down the first bucket of the night and being a nuisance on defense. After a quick 9-1 start for the Trojans, the Golden Gophers called a timeout.
Out of the break, senior center Sophie Hart scored a pair for the Golden Gophers, giving her team hope of shifting the momentum. But Iriafen had other plans. She responded with nine straight points, a run that the Golden Gophers couldn’t answer.
“[Iriafen] does a great job of spacing the floor when there’s a crowd, and her jump shot was working tonight,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
Defensively, Iriafen, Smith and senior center Clarice Afunwafo turned the paint into a battleground. Forced to adjust, the Golden Gophers channeled Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, relying on hook shots to avoid getting swatted. Despite Minnesota’s efforts, the Trojans closed the first quarter with a 25-15 lead.
The second quarter was the lowest-scoring period for both teams, with both shooting around 30% from the field.
With all eyes on sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, viewers could see her frustration as she struggled to find her shot early, shooting 0-for-10 from the field in the first half. After the game, Gottlieb talked about how she works with Watkins through frustrating stretches.
“To show up as my best self for [Watkins], I ask her a lot of times, ‘What are you seeing?’ and ‘This is what I see as the read. What do you see as the read?’” Gottlieb said. “She’s a very mentally tough human being and basketball player and finds a way to figure it out.”
By halftime, USC held a 40-28 lead, with Watkins still searching for her first field goal. But true to her coach’s words, she figured it out.
Watkins opened up the second half with back-to-back shots. Her start excited the crowd after the long-anticipated buckets. She finished the game with a double-double, notching 20 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Golden Gophers, junior forward Mallory Heyer emerged as a second half threat, shooting 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the third quarter.
“My team needs me to be dominant down low. So trying to create some offensive power down there opens up some options for our shooters,” Hart said.
Hart’s presence in the paint helped Heyer score 14 second-half points after a quiet first half.
But once again, Iriafen’s dominance took over the game, and she scored seven straight points in the first five minutes to make the score 52-39, and give the Trojans a double-digit lead. Following her momentum, freshman guard Avery Howell drilled two dagger three-pointers, extending USC’s lead to 17.
Howell, coming off a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after scoring a career-high 18 points against Purdue, finished with 12 points in another impactful performance.
“I’m getting more comfortable with the role and the attention that other people on our team draw,” Howell said. “I think that I’m doing a better job finding gaps and trying to put myself in the best position to be a pressure release for them.”
The Golden Gophers made one final push at the start of the fourth quarter, going on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to six. This was the closest they had been since the opening minutes, and also the closest they would be for the remainder of the game thanks to Howell, who shut down their efforts with another clutch triple.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for USC, though. Whether apple or cinnamon, the Trojans had 10 turnovers in the last quarter, which were converted into 10 points for the Golden Gophers. But even with the late mistakes, the Trojans’ machine-like efficiency sealed the 82-69 victory.
With a 19-1 record, USC women’s basketball is off to its best start in over 40 years.
The No. 4 Trojans will play against Iowa in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.