Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith lead USC women past | College News

When she dedicated to USC in November 2023, Kennedy Smith understood she was moving into the long shadow of a budding famous person.

The identical calculus utilized, 5 months later, for Kiki Iriafen, a potential top-five decide within the WNBA draft who traded Stanford and a starring function for USC, a faculty the place she’d often be lowered to second fiddle.

Both rising stars of their own proper, the gifted pair had willingly taken on supporting roles, understanding full properly that it will take a full cabinet of stars to hold USC to the heights they hoped to succeed in.

Never was that more clear than Saturday, within the No. 7 Trojans’ resounding 84-63 win over No. 8 Ohio State. Next to nothing was working for JuJu Watkins. And but, USC nonetheless received convincingly.

For 28 minutes, as the 2 top-10 groups slogged their manner by way of the mud, a annoyed Watkins pressed and pressed, determined to see a single shot fall. It had been a nightmarish sport for the USC star. All 11 of her makes an attempt had clanked away or rimmed out or missed altogether, a droop eerily reminiscent of her 0-for-10 begin in opposition to Minnesota on Jan. 30.

Such a droop absolutely would’ve doomed the Trojans a yr in the past. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb stated as a lot.

“I don’t think we were in a position last year where we could win games without her scoring as much as she had to score,” Gottlieb stated. “But obviously we’re built a little differently this year.”

That new basis was particularly sturdy Saturday, at the same time as Watkins wavered. Iriafen proved to be a pressure on the inside, scoring 24 factors and including 13 rebounds, six on the offensive glass. And Smith, in her gutsiest sport so far, added 13 rebounds, by far a profession high, to go together with 13 factors.

For Iriafen, it was her eighth double-double of the season. For Smith, it was the primary of her USC profession.

“They set the tone for us,” Gottlieb stated.

They weren’t the one ones. Watkins, even whereas struggling, managed to notch a double-double with 17 factors and 10 rebounds after capturing 50% from the sphere within the second half. Rayah Marshall proved to be a dominant deterrent patrolling the paint, piling up 4 blocks earlier than almost incomes a double-double of her own, with 10 factors and eight rebounds.

In their first of two straight top-10 matchups, Gottlieb knew that USC (21-2 general, 11-1 Big Ten) must set up its toughness early. Safe to say, that plan got here to excellent fruition, because the Trojans’ suffocating protection finally broke the Buckeyes down.

USC held Ohio State to 29% capturing from the sphere, led by Smith, who locked down Buckeyes level guard Jaloni Cambridge, holding her to five-for-15 capturing.

“Kennedy is just really, really, really special,” Gottlieb stated. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better, instinctive, smart, talented defender coming in as a freshman.”

That depth translated to the glass too, as Smith led USC in rebounding. The Trojans tallied 62 rebounds, their most in a sport since 1999, to simply 30 for Ohio State. Nineteen of these USC boards got here on the offensive finish, whereas Ohio State didn’t rating a single second-chance level.

“We got our asses kicked on the boards,” Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff stated.

Ohio State (20-3, 9-3) nonetheless managed to cut USC’s lead to simply seven late within the third quarter when Watkins drove laborious to the basket, drawing a foul and hitting the bucket, her first of the sport. She hit 4 more over the ultimate dozen minutes to complete 5 for 21 from the sphere.

It wasn’t simply Watkins who struggled at first. USC appeared stagnant as a entire. Drives have been denied. Gimmes across the basket bricked. Errant passes flew out of bounds. Sixteen minutes in, the Trojans had more turnovers (eight) than area targets (seven).

USC finally ironed out these points. It exceeded 80 factors for the third time in 4 video games. But Saturday’s poor capturing makes six straight video games by which Watkins has struggled from the sphere. Over that stretch she’s capturing simply 33% and averaging 10 fewer factors per sport.

The Trojans nonetheless discovered a method to soldier on with out their star at her best.

“Something we talked about is regardless of what happens, we’re going to make mistakes,” Iriafen stated. “We’re going to have turnovers. It’s, how do we respond and react?”

Iriafen and Smith each provided a resounding reply, seamlessly moving into starring roles when known as upon.

It’ll take more of the identical Thursday if USC hopes to upend undefeated, top-ranked rival UCLA.

“We’re going to need everyone to do something hard,” Gottlieb stated. “That’s what it takes.”