Monday, November 4
Paris, France
9:00 a.m.
USC
vs
Ole Miss
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
No. 3 USC Women’s Basketball Opens Season In Paris Against No. 20 Ole Miss
November 01, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Trojans take part in season-opening Aflac Oui-Play Game in France on November 4.
AFLAC OUI-PLAY GAME | PARIS, FRANCE
#3/3 USC vs. #20/21 Ole Miss
Adidas Arena | Paris, France | Monday, Nov. 4 | 9 a.m. PT
Series Record: FIRST MEETING
TV: ESPN (PxP: Ryan Ruocco | Analyst: Rebecca Lobo)
THIS WEEK
At No. 3 in the nation, USC grips its highest preseason AP ranking since 1984 as the Women of Troy enter their 2024-25 campaign with big goals coming off of last season's NCAA Elite Eight run. Under the direction of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb for the fourth season, USC kicks off the season in Paris, France. The No. 3 Trojans will take on No. 20 Ole Miss in an Aflac Oui-Play Game at Adidas Arena in Paris at 9 a.m. PT on Monday (Nov. 4).
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN is televising USC's Aflac Oui-Play game, with Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Ruocco on the call. USC games also are live on ESPN radio and streamed at USCTrojans.com/listen and the USC Trojans GameDay app with Eli Kleinmann on the call.
IN THE POLLS
USC ranks No. 3 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches preseason polls to start the 2024-25 season. It's the Trojans' highest preseason ranking since 1984, when USC opened at No. 1 after winning back-to-back national champoinships. USC finished last season ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll.
QUICK HITS
• In finishing 29-6 overall last season, USC recorded its most wins since going 31-5 in 1985-86 under head coach Linda Sharp.
• Last season, USC earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
• USC's 2024 NCAA Elite Eight run was its first since 1994.
• USC's 23 regular-season wins last season marked its most such victories since 1993-94.
• With its 10-0 start to the 2-3-24 season, USC recorded back-to-back 9-0 starts for just the second time in program history, going back to the 1983-84 (10-0) and 1984-85 (10-0) seasons.
WATCH THIS
Four Women of Troy are in line for top honors this season, with Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall, Talia von Oelhoffen and JuJu Watkins all named to the 2024-25 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time. This is the second Watch List selection for returning Trojans Marshall and Watkins, and the first for USC newcomers Iriafen and von Oelhoffen.
A 6-3 forward who was named the 2024 Katrina McClain National Power Forward of the Year, Iriafen has joined the USC women's basketball program as a grad transfer out of Stanford. A 2024 All-America Honorable Mention recipient after a standout junior season with the Cardinal, Iriafen continues to raise the bar for herself with her first Naismith Watch List selection coming soon after her first pick as an AP Preseason All-American. Iriafen also was recently named to the 20-player 2025 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Watch List.
Marshall, a 6-4 senior center/forward, enters her final season at USC holding 996 career points and 35 double-doubles. Her second stint on the Naismith Watch List comes after earning All-Pac-12 Team honors as as a sophomore and Honorable Mention as a junior. She also was named to the NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team for her work in helping the Women of Troy reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years. Marshall also was recently named to the 20-player Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Watch List.
An All-Pac-12 Team selection at Oregon State, von Oelhoffen helped the Beavers reach the NCAA Elite Eight last year and now starts her first season at USC with a spot on the Naismith Watch List as well as the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. A 5-11 guard, von Oelhoffen dished out 5.0 assists per game last season while averaging 10.7 points per game for the Beavers. She earned 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention and All-Pac-12 Team honors. Oelhoffen also was recently named to the 20-player Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List.
A 6-2 guard, Watkins was the National Freshman of the Year and the No. 2 scorer in the nation last season. She now enters her sophomore campaign with the Women of Troy having already tallied at least 30 points in 14 games — a USC single-season record. Watkins was a unanimous selection for this year's AP Preseason All-America list. Last year, she was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Shooting Guard of the Year. Watkins also was recently named to the 20-player Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List for 2024-25.
GOLDEN GIRLS
Representing the United States, USC incoming freshmen Kayleigh Heckel and Kennedy Smith — both McDonald's All-Americans — teamed up to help Team USA win gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Colombia, keeping alive and well the U.S. streak of titles at the event. The pair combined for 31 points in the final game as the USA won its 11th straight gold with an 80-69 victory over Canada. A 5-9 guard out of Port Chester, N.Y., Heckel averaged 12.8 points per game along with 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game as Team USA went undefeated in AmeriCup action. A 6-1 guard hailing from Chino, Calif., Smith led Team USA with 18 points in the gold-medal game, including a solo six-point scoring surge that helped build a key late lead for the U.S. squad. She'd finish out the event having averaged 7.8 point. 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
BRING ON THE BIG TEN
Entering its first season in the Big Ten Conference, USC has landed top honors from its new league, picked No. 1 in the Preseason Rankings to go along with JuJu Watkins' selection as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Watkins also joins fellow Trojan Kiki Iriafen on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. The Women of Troy were selected to top the Big Ten in 2024-25, earning the No. 1 spot ahead of No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Indiana in both the coaches and media preseason polls. All five were NCAA Tournament teams last season, with USC having made the deepest run of the group with its Elite Eight appearance. UCLA and Indiana reached the 2024 Sweet Sixteen, while Ohio State got to the Second Round, and Maryland played in the First Round. The Women of Troy are set to host a competitive lineup of Big Ten teams at Galen Center and will challenge the remaining opponents on the road. USC also has a home-and-away series against crosstown rival UCLA on tap. The Trojans will face two programs — Illinois and Wisconsin — for the first time, while other matchups offer the first visits to Galen Center for several Big Ten foes as well as the Trojans' first trips to several road venues.
NOTABLE:
- As USC enters the Big Ten, it holds a 27-23 all-time record against current Big Ten teams (record does not include new members Oregon, UCLA and Washington)
- USC will be facing both Illinois and Wisconsin for the first time in program history.
- The 2024-25 meetings will feature the first-ever visits to Galen Center for Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.
- USC will be playing road games at Indiana, Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin for the first time.
WE GOT GOTTLIEB
As she enters her fourth season at the helm of a program on the rise, USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season. This past season, Gottlieb guided her Women of Troy a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Named a finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title and to the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986. By the close of USC's first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years, Gottlieb's team had posted a 29-6 overall record — marking the most wins since Linda Sharp's 1985-86 team. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. USC had been picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12, but ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLE
For the second straight year, USC had multiple Trojans selected in the WNBA Draft, with 2024 picks going to grad students McKenzie Forbes (Los Angeles Sparks) and Kaitlyn Davis (New York Liberty). Coming off key leadership roles in USC's run to the NCAA Elite Eight, Forbes and Davis were selected in the third round (April 15) as the 28th and 35th overall picks, respectively. Both were transfers to USC from the Ivy League in 2023, and both have further solidified their places in the Trojan history books to make it a count of 18 players selected for the WNBA out of USC. Two Women of Troy — Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie — were Inaugural Elite Selections to the WNBA in 1997. Additionally, 14 other Trojans have been drafted out of USC, including two picks in 2023 (Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika) and now two more in 2024 with Forbes' and Davis' selections. This is the fourth time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. In 2012, USC had Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath picked, and in 1997 Pam McGee and Tina Thompson were USC draftees.
LAST SEASON
In 2023-24, USC earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986 and made a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. Picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 Conference, USC ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship. The 2023-24 Trojans finished the season at 29-6 overall, marking the most wins by the program since 1985-86. USC's 2023-24 season was also highlighted by a standing-room-only crowd at Galen Center to see the Trojans beat rival UCLA, McKenzie Forbes named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a record-setting 51-point game by freshman JuJu Watkins in USC's first win at Stanford since 2002-03 and the honor of hosting — and winning — the NCAA First and Second Rounds to earn a trip to the Sweet 16. •
#3/3 USC vs. #20/21 Ole Miss
Adidas Arena | Paris, France | Monday, Nov. 4 | 9 a.m. PT
Series Record: FIRST MEETING
TV: ESPN (PxP: Ryan Ruocco | Analyst: Rebecca Lobo)
THIS WEEK
At No. 3 in the nation, USC grips its highest preseason AP ranking since 1984 as the Women of Troy enter their 2024-25 campaign with big goals coming off of last season's NCAA Elite Eight run. Under the direction of head coach Lindsay Gottlieb for the fourth season, USC kicks off the season in Paris, France. The No. 3 Trojans will take on No. 20 Ole Miss in an Aflac Oui-Play Game at Adidas Arena in Paris at 9 a.m. PT on Monday (Nov. 4).
FOLLOW ALONG
ESPN is televising USC's Aflac Oui-Play game, with Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Ruocco on the call. USC games also are live on ESPN radio and streamed at USCTrojans.com/listen and the USC Trojans GameDay app with Eli Kleinmann on the call.
IN THE POLLS
USC ranks No. 3 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches preseason polls to start the 2024-25 season. It's the Trojans' highest preseason ranking since 1984, when USC opened at No. 1 after winning back-to-back national champoinships. USC finished last season ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll.
QUICK HITS
• In finishing 29-6 overall last season, USC recorded its most wins since going 31-5 in 1985-86 under head coach Linda Sharp.
• Last season, USC earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
• USC's 2024 NCAA Elite Eight run was its first since 1994.
• USC's 23 regular-season wins last season marked its most such victories since 1993-94.
• With its 10-0 start to the 2-3-24 season, USC recorded back-to-back 9-0 starts for just the second time in program history, going back to the 1983-84 (10-0) and 1984-85 (10-0) seasons.
WATCH THIS
Four Women of Troy are in line for top honors this season, with Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall, Talia von Oelhoffen and JuJu Watkins all named to the 2024-25 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time. This is the second Watch List selection for returning Trojans Marshall and Watkins, and the first for USC newcomers Iriafen and von Oelhoffen.
A 6-3 forward who was named the 2024 Katrina McClain National Power Forward of the Year, Iriafen has joined the USC women's basketball program as a grad transfer out of Stanford. A 2024 All-America Honorable Mention recipient after a standout junior season with the Cardinal, Iriafen continues to raise the bar for herself with her first Naismith Watch List selection coming soon after her first pick as an AP Preseason All-American. Iriafen also was recently named to the 20-player 2025 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Watch List.
Marshall, a 6-4 senior center/forward, enters her final season at USC holding 996 career points and 35 double-doubles. Her second stint on the Naismith Watch List comes after earning All-Pac-12 Team honors as as a sophomore and Honorable Mention as a junior. She also was named to the NCAA Portland Region 3 All-Tournament Team for her work in helping the Women of Troy reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 30 years. Marshall also was recently named to the 20-player Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Watch List.
An All-Pac-12 Team selection at Oregon State, von Oelhoffen helped the Beavers reach the NCAA Elite Eight last year and now starts her first season at USC with a spot on the Naismith Watch List as well as the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. A 5-11 guard, von Oelhoffen dished out 5.0 assists per game last season while averaging 10.7 points per game for the Beavers. She earned 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention and All-Pac-12 Team honors. Oelhoffen also was recently named to the 20-player Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Watch List.
A 6-2 guard, Watkins was the National Freshman of the Year and the No. 2 scorer in the nation last season. She now enters her sophomore campaign with the Women of Troy having already tallied at least 30 points in 14 games — a USC single-season record. Watkins was a unanimous selection for this year's AP Preseason All-America list. Last year, she was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Shooting Guard of the Year. Watkins also was recently named to the 20-player Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List for 2024-25.
GOLDEN GIRLS
Representing the United States, USC incoming freshmen Kayleigh Heckel and Kennedy Smith — both McDonald's All-Americans — teamed up to help Team USA win gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Colombia, keeping alive and well the U.S. streak of titles at the event. The pair combined for 31 points in the final game as the USA won its 11th straight gold with an 80-69 victory over Canada. A 5-9 guard out of Port Chester, N.Y., Heckel averaged 12.8 points per game along with 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game as Team USA went undefeated in AmeriCup action. A 6-1 guard hailing from Chino, Calif., Smith led Team USA with 18 points in the gold-medal game, including a solo six-point scoring surge that helped build a key late lead for the U.S. squad. She'd finish out the event having averaged 7.8 point. 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
BRING ON THE BIG TEN
Entering its first season in the Big Ten Conference, USC has landed top honors from its new league, picked No. 1 in the Preseason Rankings to go along with JuJu Watkins' selection as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Watkins also joins fellow Trojan Kiki Iriafen on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. The Women of Troy were selected to top the Big Ten in 2024-25, earning the No. 1 spot ahead of No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Indiana in both the coaches and media preseason polls. All five were NCAA Tournament teams last season, with USC having made the deepest run of the group with its Elite Eight appearance. UCLA and Indiana reached the 2024 Sweet Sixteen, while Ohio State got to the Second Round, and Maryland played in the First Round. The Women of Troy are set to host a competitive lineup of Big Ten teams at Galen Center and will challenge the remaining opponents on the road. USC also has a home-and-away series against crosstown rival UCLA on tap. The Trojans will face two programs — Illinois and Wisconsin — for the first time, while other matchups offer the first visits to Galen Center for several Big Ten foes as well as the Trojans' first trips to several road venues.
NOTABLE:
- As USC enters the Big Ten, it holds a 27-23 all-time record against current Big Ten teams (record does not include new members Oregon, UCLA and Washington)
- USC will be facing both Illinois and Wisconsin for the first time in program history.
- The 2024-25 meetings will feature the first-ever visits to Galen Center for Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.
- USC will be playing road games at Indiana, Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin for the first time.
WE GOT GOTTLIEB
As she enters her fourth season at the helm of a program on the rise, USC women's basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season. This past season, Gottlieb guided her Women of Troy a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Named a finalist for the Werner Ladder National Coach of the Year award, Gottlieb led USC to its second-ever Pac-12 Tournament title and to the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986. By the close of USC's first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years, Gottlieb's team had posted a 29-6 overall record — marking the most wins since Linda Sharp's 1985-86 team. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. USC had been picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12, but ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship.
WNBA DRAFT DOUBLE
For the second straight year, USC had multiple Trojans selected in the WNBA Draft, with 2024 picks going to grad students McKenzie Forbes (Los Angeles Sparks) and Kaitlyn Davis (New York Liberty). Coming off key leadership roles in USC's run to the NCAA Elite Eight, Forbes and Davis were selected in the third round (April 15) as the 28th and 35th overall picks, respectively. Both were transfers to USC from the Ivy League in 2023, and both have further solidified their places in the Trojan history books to make it a count of 18 players selected for the WNBA out of USC. Two Women of Troy — Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie — were Inaugural Elite Selections to the WNBA in 1997. Additionally, 14 other Trojans have been drafted out of USC, including two picks in 2023 (Kadi Sissoko and Okako Adika) and now two more in 2024 with Forbes' and Davis' selections. This is the fourth time ever that USC has had two players selected in a WNBA Draft. In 2012, USC had Jacki Gemelos and Briana Gilbreath picked, and in 1997 Pam McGee and Tina Thompson were USC draftees.
LAST SEASON
In 2023-24, USC earned the program's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1986 and made a historic run to the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight. Ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Trojans achieved their highest national ranking since standing at No. 3 in the final AP poll of 1986. Picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 Conference, USC ended up second instead. With its highest-ever Pac-12 Tournament seed at No. 2, the Trojans went on to beat Arizona, UCLA and Stanford to claim the 2024 Pac-12 championship. The 2023-24 Trojans finished the season at 29-6 overall, marking the most wins by the program since 1985-86. USC's 2023-24 season was also highlighted by a standing-room-only crowd at Galen Center to see the Trojans beat rival UCLA, McKenzie Forbes named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, a record-setting 51-point game by freshman JuJu Watkins in USC's first win at Stanford since 2002-03 and the honor of hosting — and winning — the NCAA First and Second Rounds to earn a trip to the Sweet 16. •
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
USC WBB Defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16, Advances to Elite Eight | Trojan Press Conference
Saturday, March 29
