Wednesday, January 8
College Park, Md.
5:30 p.m.
USC
15-1,5-0Big Ten
79
at
74
Maryland
14-1,4-1Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Southern California
18
17
23
21
79
Maryland
20
14
24
16
74
Team Stats
USC
MD
FG%
.406
.365
3FG%
.333
.143
FT%
.846
.857
RB
47
40
TO
19
11
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Chris Mora
No. 4 USC Women’s Basketball Fights Back To Hand No. 8 Maryland First Loss In 79-74 Road Win
January 08, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Five Trojans hit double digits in a comeback road win, led by 21 points apiece from Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins.
COLLEGE PARK, MD. — The No. 4 USC women's basketball team forced nine ties before making a late-game surge to victory to beat previously undefeated No. 8 Maryland 79-72 tonight in College Park, Md. JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen had 21 points apiece for the Trojan cause, while freshmen Kayleigh Heckel, Avery Howell and Kennedy Smith and senior Rayah Marshall each came up with clutch plays for USC down the stretch to help claim an 11th straight win. USC is now 15-1 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten play with tonight's road win. The Terrapins are now 14-1, 4-1.
Maryland crafted a nine-point lead during the first quarter before USC got its feet under it and took its first lead midway through the second quarter. USC would grip a 35-34 lead by halftime on 39.4-percent shooting from the floor — ahead of the Terrapins' 31.6 percent overall. Both teams had hit a pair of 3-pointers apiece by the break, while the Trojans were just ahead on the boards 23-22. Only one bucket would fall for Maryland in the last 2:40 of action while the Trojans made their winning push in College Park. USC wrapped the game at 40.6 percent shooting overall and held Maryland to 36.5 percent from the floor. USC went bigger on the boards as well, outrebounding the Terps 47-40 thanks in part to a season-high 15 rebounds from Marshall.
Marshall also delivered four blocks for the Trojan cause, while Watkins hauled in nine rebounds to go with her 21 points. Iriafen also hit 21, and freshmen Howell (11 points) Heckel (10) and Smith (10) also finished in double digits for USC. Maryland was paced by a game-high 26 points from Shyanne Sellers, 16 points from Kaylene Smikle and 15 from Christina Dalce. Saylor Poffenbarger pulled in 17 rebounds for the Terps, and Dalce had 12.
USC had a slow start out of the gates with just a free throw falling in the first two minutes before JuJu Watkins struck to make it a 7-3 Trojan deficit at 7:50. The Terrapins worked out ahead 16-7 with 3:45 on the clock, and then USC freshman Kayleigh Heckel stepped up and scored seven points in the last 3:15 of the first to help the Trojans make it a two-point margin at the close of the first. Heckel hit a 3-pointer in the final minute for USC, making 20-18 Maryland entering the second quarter. The Trojans would pull things even three times and then nudged into their first lead of the game when Watkins nailed a three to make it 27-26 USC at 4:35. Kiki Iriafen delivered a pair of free throws next, and USC edged out to a 29-26 advantage. Maryland hit two free throws next, only to see Rayah Marshall and Iriafen connect down low and Watkins sink two more free throws to build a 35-28 lead with 2:15 to go in the half. The Terps bit back with a 6-0 surge of their own, and it would stand as a 35-34 USC advantage at halftime.
A 3-pointer from Avery Howell at 7:50 lifted USC to a 43-38 advantage, although the Terps countered with some key buckets while USC's offense hit a skid from the floor. Only free throws fell for USC during a 10-2 Maryland push to get on top 48-45 at 4:01. Watkins was dealt her third foul of the game during that stretch but stayed in the game and followed another Howell three with a couple buckets to snarl the game up twice more. The Terps stepped out again and held a three-point lead, only to see it erased by a gutsy three-point play from freshman Heckel with two ticks left in the third that leveled it 58-58 entering the fourth. Maryland opened that final frame with a 6-0 rally, and Watkins was tagged with her fourth foul soon after. Up 68-61 with 5:15 on the clock, Maryland saw USC's Kennedy Smith step in and score seven straight points for the Trojans to lock things up 68-68 at 3:45. USC would fall behind again, down 72-70 with 2:35 to go, and yet was undeterred. Two free-throw tosses from Watkins knotted things up for the ninth — and last time. Iriafen muscled in an and-one next, and Marshall came up huge with a booming block just before teams crossed into the final minute. She'd interrupt another Terp try next, and although Watkins fouled out soon after, Marshall hauled in a huge defensive board to all but seal things with 15 ticks to go. Sent to the stripe with 13.5 seconds left, Howell hit both, and Iriafen followed suit to net a 79-72 USC lead with 8.5 seconds on the clock. Maryland struck last, but that would be all for the previously undefeated Terrapins, as USC locked in the 79-74 road win to notch its 11th straight win and a 15-1 overall record.
NEXT:
USC now returns to Galen Center for two Big Ten games on home turf. The Trojans host Penn State at 5 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 12) and then take on Northwestern in a 7 p.m. meeting next Wednesday (Jan. 15).
NOTABLE:
- USC's 15-1 start to the season and 5-0 start in conference play is its best since the 1993-94 season.
- USC now has recorded 10-game wins streaks during back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons.
- With four blocks, SR Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 14 games.
- With a season-high 15 rebounds, Marshall recorded her sixth game this season with double-digit rebounds.
- SO JuJu Watkins (21 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (21) have now both scored in double digits in all 16 USC games this season.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 42 of her 50 career games at USC.
- With one 3-pointer made, Watkins has hit at least one three in USC's last 11 games.
- This is Iriafen's fifth game as a Trojan scoring 20+ points.
- With 10 points, FR Kayleigh Heckel scored in double digits for the fourth time this season.
- Heckel tied her career high with four assists tonight.
- With two steals tonight, SO Malia Samuels has recorded at least one steal in USC's last eight games.
- FR Kennedy Smith tied her career high in rebounds with eight.
- This is the third game this season with five or more Trojans in double-digit scoring.
- With this win, USC moves to 13-0 when outrebounding an opponent.
- The Trojans are now 2-1 against top-10 opponents this season.
- USC also moved to 13-0 when holding an opponent under 40% shooting from the floor.
- This was USC's first meeting with Maryland since Dec. 29, 1995.
- USC played tonight's game without GS Talia von Oelhoffen due to injury.
- SO Malia Samuels was in the starting lineup for the first time this season
Maryland crafted a nine-point lead during the first quarter before USC got its feet under it and took its first lead midway through the second quarter. USC would grip a 35-34 lead by halftime on 39.4-percent shooting from the floor — ahead of the Terrapins' 31.6 percent overall. Both teams had hit a pair of 3-pointers apiece by the break, while the Trojans were just ahead on the boards 23-22. Only one bucket would fall for Maryland in the last 2:40 of action while the Trojans made their winning push in College Park. USC wrapped the game at 40.6 percent shooting overall and held Maryland to 36.5 percent from the floor. USC went bigger on the boards as well, outrebounding the Terps 47-40 thanks in part to a season-high 15 rebounds from Marshall.
Marshall also delivered four blocks for the Trojan cause, while Watkins hauled in nine rebounds to go with her 21 points. Iriafen also hit 21, and freshmen Howell (11 points) Heckel (10) and Smith (10) also finished in double digits for USC. Maryland was paced by a game-high 26 points from Shyanne Sellers, 16 points from Kaylene Smikle and 15 from Christina Dalce. Saylor Poffenbarger pulled in 17 rebounds for the Terps, and Dalce had 12.
USC had a slow start out of the gates with just a free throw falling in the first two minutes before JuJu Watkins struck to make it a 7-3 Trojan deficit at 7:50. The Terrapins worked out ahead 16-7 with 3:45 on the clock, and then USC freshman Kayleigh Heckel stepped up and scored seven points in the last 3:15 of the first to help the Trojans make it a two-point margin at the close of the first. Heckel hit a 3-pointer in the final minute for USC, making 20-18 Maryland entering the second quarter. The Trojans would pull things even three times and then nudged into their first lead of the game when Watkins nailed a three to make it 27-26 USC at 4:35. Kiki Iriafen delivered a pair of free throws next, and USC edged out to a 29-26 advantage. Maryland hit two free throws next, only to see Rayah Marshall and Iriafen connect down low and Watkins sink two more free throws to build a 35-28 lead with 2:15 to go in the half. The Terps bit back with a 6-0 surge of their own, and it would stand as a 35-34 USC advantage at halftime.
A 3-pointer from Avery Howell at 7:50 lifted USC to a 43-38 advantage, although the Terps countered with some key buckets while USC's offense hit a skid from the floor. Only free throws fell for USC during a 10-2 Maryland push to get on top 48-45 at 4:01. Watkins was dealt her third foul of the game during that stretch but stayed in the game and followed another Howell three with a couple buckets to snarl the game up twice more. The Terps stepped out again and held a three-point lead, only to see it erased by a gutsy three-point play from freshman Heckel with two ticks left in the third that leveled it 58-58 entering the fourth. Maryland opened that final frame with a 6-0 rally, and Watkins was tagged with her fourth foul soon after. Up 68-61 with 5:15 on the clock, Maryland saw USC's Kennedy Smith step in and score seven straight points for the Trojans to lock things up 68-68 at 3:45. USC would fall behind again, down 72-70 with 2:35 to go, and yet was undeterred. Two free-throw tosses from Watkins knotted things up for the ninth — and last time. Iriafen muscled in an and-one next, and Marshall came up huge with a booming block just before teams crossed into the final minute. She'd interrupt another Terp try next, and although Watkins fouled out soon after, Marshall hauled in a huge defensive board to all but seal things with 15 ticks to go. Sent to the stripe with 13.5 seconds left, Howell hit both, and Iriafen followed suit to net a 79-72 USC lead with 8.5 seconds on the clock. Maryland struck last, but that would be all for the previously undefeated Terrapins, as USC locked in the 79-74 road win to notch its 11th straight win and a 15-1 overall record.
NEXT:
USC now returns to Galen Center for two Big Ten games on home turf. The Trojans host Penn State at 5 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 12) and then take on Northwestern in a 7 p.m. meeting next Wednesday (Jan. 15).
NOTABLE:
- USC's 15-1 start to the season and 5-0 start in conference play is its best since the 1993-94 season.
- USC now has recorded 10-game wins streaks during back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons.
- With four blocks, SR Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 14 games.
- With a season-high 15 rebounds, Marshall recorded her sixth game this season with double-digit rebounds.
- SO JuJu Watkins (21 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (21) have now both scored in double digits in all 16 USC games this season.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 42 of her 50 career games at USC.
- With one 3-pointer made, Watkins has hit at least one three in USC's last 11 games.
- This is Iriafen's fifth game as a Trojan scoring 20+ points.
- With 10 points, FR Kayleigh Heckel scored in double digits for the fourth time this season.
- Heckel tied her career high with four assists tonight.
- With two steals tonight, SO Malia Samuels has recorded at least one steal in USC's last eight games.
- FR Kennedy Smith tied her career high in rebounds with eight.
- This is the third game this season with five or more Trojans in double-digit scoring.
- With this win, USC moves to 13-0 when outrebounding an opponent.
- The Trojans are now 2-1 against top-10 opponents this season.
- USC also moved to 13-0 when holding an opponent under 40% shooting from the floor.
- This was USC's first meeting with Maryland since Dec. 29, 1995.
- USC played tonight's game without GS Talia von Oelhoffen due to injury.
- SO Malia Samuels was in the starting lineup for the first time this season
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
