Saturday, November 23
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
USC
4-1,0-0Big Ten
61
vs
74
Notre Dame
5-0,0-0ACC
1
2
3
4
F
Notre Dame
20
15
17
22
74
Southern California
10
18
17
16
61
Team Stats
ND
USC
FG%
.468
.358
3FG%
.333
.077
FT%
.625
.800
RB
41
38
TO
20
21
STL
17
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: John McGillen
No. 3 USC Women’s Basketball Falls For The First Time In 74-61 Loss To No. 6 Notre Dame
November 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball
USC’s Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins hit double digits for the fifth straight game this season..
LOS ANGELES — The No. 3 USC women's basketball team came up against a hot-handed No. 6 Notre Dame squad in a top-10 battle at Galen Center today, with the Fighting Irish securing a 74-61 win over the Trojans. USC goes to 4-1 overall with the loss, while Notre Dame improves to 5-0.
Notre Dame had the hotter hands in the first half, going 41.2 percent from the floor with three 3-pointers landed while forcing 13 turnovers out of the Trojans. USC was shooting 35.5 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes with a single three as the Fighting Irish led it 35-28 at halftime.
By the final buzzer, Notre Dame had nailed six 3-pointers while USC had just one fall on the day. With 17 steals in the game, the Fighting Irish scored 22 points off of the Trojans' 21 turnovers, although USC did force 20 turnovers out of the Irish. In the end, Notre Dame had hit at a 46.8-percent clip overall to outpace USC's final 35.8 percent, with those six Irish 3-pointers standing as a marked difference in this one. Notre Dame wrapped with 41 rebounds to edge out USC's 38.
JuJu Watkins led USC in scoring with 24 points, recording six rebounds and five assists. Kiki Iriafen finished just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Talia von Oelhoffen added 10 points. Notre Dame was led by Hannah Hidalgo's 24-piece with eight assists dished. Olivia Miles had 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Liatu King also had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame blazed out of the gate, with Hidalgo scoring a quick two jumpers to push the Fighting Irish out 4-0 within the first minute and a half. The next play, Rayah Marshall put the Trojans on the board with a bucket in the paint. Notre Dame would get a boost from back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the quarter, however, and the Fighting Irish led it 20-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.
With a 3-pointer from deep to make it 22-17, Kayleigh Heckel sparked a 7-0 Trojan run early in the action. Adding to the Cardinal and Gold momentum was Talia von Oelhoffen, who coasted from baseline to baseline with a layup. On consecutive offensive possessions, Notre Dame netted back-to-back jumpers to take a 28-21 lead. USC continued to break up the rally, with Watkins, Iriafen and Marshall contributing to the cause. Marshall would stuff the Fighting Irish in the paint for the fourth time in the half. Although the Trojans outscored Notre Dame 18-15 in the quarter, the Fighting Irish had a 35-28 halftime lead after draining a mid-range shot just before the buzzer.
USC sliced the deficit down to three points in the third quarter at 44-41, thanks to a converted three-point play by Watkins at 3:40 on the clock. That was the closest the Trojans would get the rest of the game, as the Irish got out to a 21-point advantage before USC managed a late run to finish it out as a 74-61 final margin.
NEXT:
USC's next competition takes the Trojans to Palm Springs for the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, where USC will face Seton Hall at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 27) and then take on Saint Louis at 4 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 29) at Acrisure Arena.
NOTABLE:
- SO JuJu Watkins scored 24 points today and has now scored 20 or more points in 31 of 39 career games.
- Watkins has scored in double digits in all five USC games this season.
- SR Rayah Marshall had four blocks today and now ranks No. 3 on USC's all-time blocks list with 242 career blocks. She also had a season-high nine rebounds.
- FR Kayleigh Heckel made her first career start today.
- GS Kiki Iriafen played the entire 40 minutes today (a season high)
- With 15 points today, Iriafen has scored in double figures in all five games this season.
- USC is now 2-9 in the all-time series against Notre Dame.
- This was the first game this season in which USC never had the lead.
- USC was held to a season-low 61 points. The previous low USC had scored in a game was 68 vs. Ole Miss in the opener.
- USC held Notre Dame to a season-low 74 points. Notre Dame's previous low for points scored in a game this season was 91 at Lafayette on Nov. 17.
- When Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo hit a floater at the 8:50 mark of the first quarter, it was the first time USC had trailed at home this season.
- USC trailed 35-28 at the half — the first game this season the Trojans have trailed at halftime.
- USC finished the game with 21 turnovers, its second most turnovers in a game this season (27 vs. Ole Miss).
- USC shot a season-low 35.8 (24-for-67) from the field and a season-low 7.7 percent (1-for-13) from three-point range.
- Notre Dame made 46.8 percent of its shots (29-for-62) today, the highest shooting percentage by a Trojan opponent this season. The previous high for a shooting percentage by a Trojan opponent had been 35.2 percent by Santa Clara on Nov. 15.
- Following a surgical procedure, FR G Kennedy Smith was sidelined for today's game. She is expected to return to competition this season.
Notre Dame had the hotter hands in the first half, going 41.2 percent from the floor with three 3-pointers landed while forcing 13 turnovers out of the Trojans. USC was shooting 35.5 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes with a single three as the Fighting Irish led it 35-28 at halftime.
By the final buzzer, Notre Dame had nailed six 3-pointers while USC had just one fall on the day. With 17 steals in the game, the Fighting Irish scored 22 points off of the Trojans' 21 turnovers, although USC did force 20 turnovers out of the Irish. In the end, Notre Dame had hit at a 46.8-percent clip overall to outpace USC's final 35.8 percent, with those six Irish 3-pointers standing as a marked difference in this one. Notre Dame wrapped with 41 rebounds to edge out USC's 38.
JuJu Watkins led USC in scoring with 24 points, recording six rebounds and five assists. Kiki Iriafen finished just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Talia von Oelhoffen added 10 points. Notre Dame was led by Hannah Hidalgo's 24-piece with eight assists dished. Olivia Miles had 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Liatu King also had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame blazed out of the gate, with Hidalgo scoring a quick two jumpers to push the Fighting Irish out 4-0 within the first minute and a half. The next play, Rayah Marshall put the Trojans on the board with a bucket in the paint. Notre Dame would get a boost from back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the quarter, however, and the Fighting Irish led it 20-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.
With a 3-pointer from deep to make it 22-17, Kayleigh Heckel sparked a 7-0 Trojan run early in the action. Adding to the Cardinal and Gold momentum was Talia von Oelhoffen, who coasted from baseline to baseline with a layup. On consecutive offensive possessions, Notre Dame netted back-to-back jumpers to take a 28-21 lead. USC continued to break up the rally, with Watkins, Iriafen and Marshall contributing to the cause. Marshall would stuff the Fighting Irish in the paint for the fourth time in the half. Although the Trojans outscored Notre Dame 18-15 in the quarter, the Fighting Irish had a 35-28 halftime lead after draining a mid-range shot just before the buzzer.
USC sliced the deficit down to three points in the third quarter at 44-41, thanks to a converted three-point play by Watkins at 3:40 on the clock. That was the closest the Trojans would get the rest of the game, as the Irish got out to a 21-point advantage before USC managed a late run to finish it out as a 74-61 final margin.
NEXT:
USC's next competition takes the Trojans to Palm Springs for the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, where USC will face Seton Hall at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 27) and then take on Saint Louis at 4 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 29) at Acrisure Arena.
NOTABLE:
- SO JuJu Watkins scored 24 points today and has now scored 20 or more points in 31 of 39 career games.
- Watkins has scored in double digits in all five USC games this season.
- SR Rayah Marshall had four blocks today and now ranks No. 3 on USC's all-time blocks list with 242 career blocks. She also had a season-high nine rebounds.
- FR Kayleigh Heckel made her first career start today.
- GS Kiki Iriafen played the entire 40 minutes today (a season high)
- With 15 points today, Iriafen has scored in double figures in all five games this season.
- USC is now 2-9 in the all-time series against Notre Dame.
- This was the first game this season in which USC never had the lead.
- USC was held to a season-low 61 points. The previous low USC had scored in a game was 68 vs. Ole Miss in the opener.
- USC held Notre Dame to a season-low 74 points. Notre Dame's previous low for points scored in a game this season was 91 at Lafayette on Nov. 17.
- When Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo hit a floater at the 8:50 mark of the first quarter, it was the first time USC had trailed at home this season.
- USC trailed 35-28 at the half — the first game this season the Trojans have trailed at halftime.
- USC finished the game with 21 turnovers, its second most turnovers in a game this season (27 vs. Ole Miss).
- USC shot a season-low 35.8 (24-for-67) from the field and a season-low 7.7 percent (1-for-13) from three-point range.
- Notre Dame made 46.8 percent of its shots (29-for-62) today, the highest shooting percentage by a Trojan opponent this season. The previous high for a shooting percentage by a Trojan opponent had been 35.2 percent by Santa Clara on Nov. 15.
- Following a surgical procedure, FR G Kennedy Smith was sidelined for today's game. She is expected to return to competition this season.
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