Wednesday, January 1
Los Angeles, Calif.
12:00 p.m.
USC
13-1,3-0Big Ten
75
vs
55
Nebraska
10-4,1-2Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Nebraska
12
22
11
10
55
Southern California
16
23
20
16
75
Team Stats
Nebr
USC
FG%
.345
.450
3FG%
.333
.235
FT%
.833
.739
RB
36
36
TO
18
11
STL
5
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Bryce Dechert
No. 4 USC Women’s Basketball Nets 75-55 New Year’s Day Win Over Nebraska
January 01, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Trojans beat the Huskers with another strong second half, with JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen combining for 40 points.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 4 USC women's basketball team had JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen combine for 40 points in the Trojans' 75-55 win over visiting Nebraska on New Year's Day at Galen Center. The win gives USC its first 3-0 start to conference play since the 2013-14 season, while improving to 13-1 overall. The Cornhuskers are now 10-4, 1-2 in Big Ten play.
USC utilized a 10-0 scoring rally late in the second quarter to erase a five-point deficit and wrap the half with a 39-35 lead. The Trojans had shot 48.5 percent from the floor to edge out Nebraska's 46.4 percent effort, although the Huskers were ahead on the boards 18-16 by the break. All nine Trojans who hit the court in the first half contributed points in those first 20 minutes, and nine Huskers were also on the scoresheet by halftime. USC's scoring pace cooled a bit, but Nebraska's productivity dipped further as the Huskers came up empty on field goals for almost 10 minutes in the second half. USC wrapped the game shooting 45 percent overall, ahead of the Huskers' 34.5 percent effort. The teams finished up even on the boards 36-36.
JuJu Watkins was the game's top scorer with a 26-point outing along with four assists. Kiki Iriafen also hit double digits — making it all 14 USC games that the pair has scored in double figures. Nebraska received 14 points from Logan Nissley and 10 from Britt Prince.
The score knotted up three times in the first quarter before USC managed an 8-0 run sparked by a bucket from JuJu Watkins. She had six of those points in the Trojan rally, with Clarice Akunwafo adding a score in the paint as USC built a 16-8 lead with 2:00 to go in the frame. Nebraska countered with back-to-back buckets to leave it as a 16-12 margin after 10 minutes of play. The Huskers edged out ahead in the second in hitting the game's first 3-pointer with 7:32 on the clock, nudging into a 19-18 lead. USC had a quick response, as Talia von Oelhoffen knocked down a three for the Trojans out of a USC timeout, only to see Nebraska land another three and then connect on two tosses from the free-throw line to lead it 24-21 at 5:07. The Huskers held a 30-25 lead with 2:45 left in the half before Avery Howell landed a baseline 3-pointer that sparked a USC rally. Kayleigh Heckel got on the board with a floater in the lane, and Watkins delivered a bucket and a three to make it a 10-0 USC surge to a 35-30 advantage. That margin would hold through to the halftime buzzer, as USC led things 39-34 at the break.
Kiki Iriafen joined Watkins in double digits early in the third, and a Rayah Marshall steal fed a streaking Kennedy Smith for a fastbreak layup that had USC ahead 45-38 four minutes into the second half. A three-point play converted by Smith tugged the Trojans to their largest lead of the game, up 52-42 with 1:30 on the clock. The rest of the quarter played out at the free-throw lines and after five straight makes from Watkins, USC gripped a 59-45 lead entering the fourth. USC scored the first 12 points of the final quarter — making it a 17-0 surge spanning from the third — to balloon the Trojan lead to 71-45 at 4:00. Nebraska hit its first bucket from the floor in almost 10 minutes of play with a 3-pointer at 3:51, and the Huskers wrapped the game with a couple more scores to round out a final 77-55 USC victory.
NEXT:
USC now turns to an East Coast swing for more Big Ten action, visiting Rutgers on Sunday (Jan. 5) for an 8 p.m. ET clash before heading to Maryland to play an 8:30 p.m. ET game on Wednesday (Jan. 8).
NOTABLE:
- This is the first time the Trojans have opened up conference play with a 3-0 record since the 2013-14 season.
- SO JuJu Watkins (26 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (14) have now both scored in double digits in all 14 USC games this season.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 40 of her 48 career games at USC.
- With three blocks, SR Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 12 games.
- SR Clarice Akunwafo tied her career high with two steals.
- This is the fourth time this season that Watkins has made 10 or more free throws (11 today).
- The Trojans have now recorded nine 20-point victories this season.
- This is the seventh game this season in which USC totaled 20+ assists.
- This is the 10th game this season in which USC has held an opponent to under 60 points.
- USC is now 4-5 all-time against Nebraska, having lost the previous five meetings. Before today, USC's last win against Nebraska was during the 1993 NCAA Tournament on March 21 in Los Angeles (78-60).
- USC had lost its previous three games played on New Year's Day (2023 at Oregon, 2021 at Oregon, 2017 at Utah). USC's last win on Jan. 1 was in 2010 at Arizona State.
USC utilized a 10-0 scoring rally late in the second quarter to erase a five-point deficit and wrap the half with a 39-35 lead. The Trojans had shot 48.5 percent from the floor to edge out Nebraska's 46.4 percent effort, although the Huskers were ahead on the boards 18-16 by the break. All nine Trojans who hit the court in the first half contributed points in those first 20 minutes, and nine Huskers were also on the scoresheet by halftime. USC's scoring pace cooled a bit, but Nebraska's productivity dipped further as the Huskers came up empty on field goals for almost 10 minutes in the second half. USC wrapped the game shooting 45 percent overall, ahead of the Huskers' 34.5 percent effort. The teams finished up even on the boards 36-36.
JuJu Watkins was the game's top scorer with a 26-point outing along with four assists. Kiki Iriafen also hit double digits — making it all 14 USC games that the pair has scored in double figures. Nebraska received 14 points from Logan Nissley and 10 from Britt Prince.
The score knotted up three times in the first quarter before USC managed an 8-0 run sparked by a bucket from JuJu Watkins. She had six of those points in the Trojan rally, with Clarice Akunwafo adding a score in the paint as USC built a 16-8 lead with 2:00 to go in the frame. Nebraska countered with back-to-back buckets to leave it as a 16-12 margin after 10 minutes of play. The Huskers edged out ahead in the second in hitting the game's first 3-pointer with 7:32 on the clock, nudging into a 19-18 lead. USC had a quick response, as Talia von Oelhoffen knocked down a three for the Trojans out of a USC timeout, only to see Nebraska land another three and then connect on two tosses from the free-throw line to lead it 24-21 at 5:07. The Huskers held a 30-25 lead with 2:45 left in the half before Avery Howell landed a baseline 3-pointer that sparked a USC rally. Kayleigh Heckel got on the board with a floater in the lane, and Watkins delivered a bucket and a three to make it a 10-0 USC surge to a 35-30 advantage. That margin would hold through to the halftime buzzer, as USC led things 39-34 at the break.
Kiki Iriafen joined Watkins in double digits early in the third, and a Rayah Marshall steal fed a streaking Kennedy Smith for a fastbreak layup that had USC ahead 45-38 four minutes into the second half. A three-point play converted by Smith tugged the Trojans to their largest lead of the game, up 52-42 with 1:30 on the clock. The rest of the quarter played out at the free-throw lines and after five straight makes from Watkins, USC gripped a 59-45 lead entering the fourth. USC scored the first 12 points of the final quarter — making it a 17-0 surge spanning from the third — to balloon the Trojan lead to 71-45 at 4:00. Nebraska hit its first bucket from the floor in almost 10 minutes of play with a 3-pointer at 3:51, and the Huskers wrapped the game with a couple more scores to round out a final 77-55 USC victory.
NEXT:
USC now turns to an East Coast swing for more Big Ten action, visiting Rutgers on Sunday (Jan. 5) for an 8 p.m. ET clash before heading to Maryland to play an 8:30 p.m. ET game on Wednesday (Jan. 8).
NOTABLE:
- This is the first time the Trojans have opened up conference play with a 3-0 record since the 2013-14 season.
- SO JuJu Watkins (26 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (14) have now both scored in double digits in all 14 USC games this season.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 40 of her 48 career games at USC.
- With three blocks, SR Rayah Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 12 games.
- SR Clarice Akunwafo tied her career high with two steals.
- This is the fourth time this season that Watkins has made 10 or more free throws (11 today).
- The Trojans have now recorded nine 20-point victories this season.
- This is the seventh game this season in which USC totaled 20+ assists.
- This is the 10th game this season in which USC has held an opponent to under 60 points.
- USC is now 4-5 all-time against Nebraska, having lost the previous five meetings. Before today, USC's last win against Nebraska was during the 1993 NCAA Tournament on March 21 in Los Angeles (78-60).
- USC had lost its previous three games played on New Year's Day (2023 at Oregon, 2021 at Oregon, 2017 at Utah). USC's last win on Jan. 1 was in 2010 at Arizona State.
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