Sunday, January 5
Piscataway, N.J.
5:00 p.m.
USC
14-1,4-0Big Ten
92
at
42
Rutgers
8-7,0-4Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Southern California
22
15
32
23
92
Rutgers
8
6
10
18
42
Team Stats
USC
RU
FG%
.403
.280
3FG%
.321
.357
FT%
.781
.692
RB
56
28
TO
17
27
STL
17
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Chris Mora
No. 4 USC Women’s Basketball Rolls At Rutgers In 92-42 Win Over Scarlet Knights
January 05, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Trojans win their 10th straight behind a double-double from JuJu Watkins and a career night from Kennedy Smith.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — JuJu Watkins recorded her 11th career double-double, and Rayah Marshall crossed the 1,000-rebound threshold in a high-powered Big Ten win for the No. 4 USC women's basketball team, which won its 10th straight game in a 92-42 victory at Rutgers tonight. The Trojans improve to 14-1 overall and to 4-0 in Big Ten play after getting 10 different players in the scoring column in Piscataway. Rutgers is now 8-7, 0-4.
USC took control of things early and spread the ball around to the tune of seven Trojans on the scoresheet as USC built a 37-14 halftime lead at Rutgers. The Trojans shot 38.7 percent from the floor in the first half to outpace the Scarlet Knights' 22.2 percent shooting in those first 20 minutes of action. USC was also running things on the boards, outrebounding its host 28-13. The Trojans opened up the second half on a 12-0 run and landed five 3-pointers in the third quarter to amass a hefty advantage. USC wrapped the game shooting 40.3 percent overall and outrebounding Rutgers 56-28. The Scarlet Knights finished up at 28 percent from the floor and committed 27 turnovers that led to 38 USC points in the game.
USC's Watkins paired a game-high 23 points with a career-high 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, and was joined in double-digit scoring by freshman Kennedy Smith's career-high 19 points and 14 points from Kiki Iriafen. Marshall had her 1,000th career rebounds in the books by halftime and finished with a total of 10 boards on the night for the Trojans. Rutgers received 14 points from JoJo Lacey and a double-double from Destiny Adams with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights.
A JuJu Watkins 3-pointer out of the gates sparked a USC opening rally that saw the Trojans take a 10-1 lead before Rutgers hit its first field goal with 5:20 on the clock. Watkins planted another moments after that Scarlet Knight score to go up 13-3, and then Avery Howell hit one from the baseline to make it an 18-4 Trojan advantage entering the final two minutes of the first. Kiki Iriafen delivered in the paint for two more Trojan buckets in that final stretch, and USC gripped a 22-8 lead after 10 minutes of action. It was a slower start to the second quarter, but some hustle plays on defense from Kennedy Smith helped USC make an 11-0 surge to a 33-10 advantage with 3:55 on the clock. Clarice Akunwafo snuffed a Scarlet Knight shot soon after, and Kayleigh Heckel and Malia Samuels each joined the scoresheet before the halftime buzzer to help net a 37-14 USC lead at the break.
Smith drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to kick off the second half, lighting the fuse on a 12-0 Trojan run. Rutgers broke that up, only to see Rayah Marshall strike in the paint and then from beyond the arc to build a 54-16 lead two minutes into the half. The hits kept coming as four Trojans landed at least one 3-pointer in the third to generate a 69-24 USC lead entering the fourth. Rutgers found its touch from 3-point range during the fourth, going 4-for-4 from distance, only to see USC strike off on another 12-0 rally midway through the frame while Vivian Iwuchukwu joined the Trojan scoring. USC's final points of the night came care of Aaliyah Gayles, and the Trojans would have a 92-42 win over Rutgers on the board at the final buzzer.
NEXT:
USC now heads to Maryland to play the No. 8 Terrapins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Jan. 8) in College Park, Md.
NOTABLE:
- USC's 14-1 start to the season is its best since the 1993-94 season.
- The win gives USC its first 4-0 conference start since the 2012-13 season.
- With her sixth rebound in the first half, SR Rayah Marshall recorded her 1,000th career rebound
- Marshall moved up to No. 24 all-time in career scoring at USC with nine points tonight (1,122 total).
- SO JuJu Watkins (23 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (14) have now both scored in double digits in all 15 USC games this season.
- With 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, Watkins recorded her second double-double of the season and 11th of her USC career.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 41 of her 49 career games at USC.
- With three 3-pointers made, Watkins has hit at least one three in USC's last 10 games.
- With 19 points, FR Kennedy Smith set a new career high.
- Smith also had a career-high six steals, and she has had at least two steals in six of eight games played this season.
- FR Vivian Iwuchuckwu scored a career-high six points tonight.
- Iriafen recorded a season high in blocks with three.
- With one block, Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 13 games.
- This is the fourth time this season that the Trojans have had a 50-point or more margin of victory.
- The Trojans held the Scarlet Knights to a season-low 42 points overall, six points in the second quarter and season-low 14 points in the first half (lowest points scored in any quarter or half this season).
- This is the 11th game this season in which USC has held an opponent to under 60 points.
- USC tied its season high of 56 rebounds, moving to 12-0 when outrebounding an opponent.
USC took control of things early and spread the ball around to the tune of seven Trojans on the scoresheet as USC built a 37-14 halftime lead at Rutgers. The Trojans shot 38.7 percent from the floor in the first half to outpace the Scarlet Knights' 22.2 percent shooting in those first 20 minutes of action. USC was also running things on the boards, outrebounding its host 28-13. The Trojans opened up the second half on a 12-0 run and landed five 3-pointers in the third quarter to amass a hefty advantage. USC wrapped the game shooting 40.3 percent overall and outrebounding Rutgers 56-28. The Scarlet Knights finished up at 28 percent from the floor and committed 27 turnovers that led to 38 USC points in the game.
USC's Watkins paired a game-high 23 points with a career-high 14 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, and was joined in double-digit scoring by freshman Kennedy Smith's career-high 19 points and 14 points from Kiki Iriafen. Marshall had her 1,000th career rebounds in the books by halftime and finished with a total of 10 boards on the night for the Trojans. Rutgers received 14 points from JoJo Lacey and a double-double from Destiny Adams with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights.
A JuJu Watkins 3-pointer out of the gates sparked a USC opening rally that saw the Trojans take a 10-1 lead before Rutgers hit its first field goal with 5:20 on the clock. Watkins planted another moments after that Scarlet Knight score to go up 13-3, and then Avery Howell hit one from the baseline to make it an 18-4 Trojan advantage entering the final two minutes of the first. Kiki Iriafen delivered in the paint for two more Trojan buckets in that final stretch, and USC gripped a 22-8 lead after 10 minutes of action. It was a slower start to the second quarter, but some hustle plays on defense from Kennedy Smith helped USC make an 11-0 surge to a 33-10 advantage with 3:55 on the clock. Clarice Akunwafo snuffed a Scarlet Knight shot soon after, and Kayleigh Heckel and Malia Samuels each joined the scoresheet before the halftime buzzer to help net a 37-14 USC lead at the break.
Smith drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to kick off the second half, lighting the fuse on a 12-0 Trojan run. Rutgers broke that up, only to see Rayah Marshall strike in the paint and then from beyond the arc to build a 54-16 lead two minutes into the half. The hits kept coming as four Trojans landed at least one 3-pointer in the third to generate a 69-24 USC lead entering the fourth. Rutgers found its touch from 3-point range during the fourth, going 4-for-4 from distance, only to see USC strike off on another 12-0 rally midway through the frame while Vivian Iwuchukwu joined the Trojan scoring. USC's final points of the night came care of Aaliyah Gayles, and the Trojans would have a 92-42 win over Rutgers on the board at the final buzzer.
NEXT:
USC now heads to Maryland to play the No. 8 Terrapins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Jan. 8) in College Park, Md.
NOTABLE:
- USC's 14-1 start to the season is its best since the 1993-94 season.
- The win gives USC its first 4-0 conference start since the 2012-13 season.
- With her sixth rebound in the first half, SR Rayah Marshall recorded her 1,000th career rebound
- Marshall moved up to No. 24 all-time in career scoring at USC with nine points tonight (1,122 total).
- SO JuJu Watkins (23 points) and GS Kiki Iriafen (14) have now both scored in double digits in all 15 USC games this season.
- With 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, Watkins recorded her second double-double of the season and 11th of her USC career.
- Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 41 of her 49 career games at USC.
- With three 3-pointers made, Watkins has hit at least one three in USC's last 10 games.
- With 19 points, FR Kennedy Smith set a new career high.
- Smith also had a career-high six steals, and she has had at least two steals in six of eight games played this season.
- FR Vivian Iwuchuckwu scored a career-high six points tonight.
- Iriafen recorded a season high in blocks with three.
- With one block, Marshall has recorded at least one block in the last 13 games.
- This is the fourth time this season that the Trojans have had a 50-point or more margin of victory.
- The Trojans held the Scarlet Knights to a season-low 42 points overall, six points in the second quarter and season-low 14 points in the first half (lowest points scored in any quarter or half this season).
- This is the 11th game this season in which USC has held an opponent to under 60 points.
- USC tied its season high of 56 rebounds, moving to 12-0 when outrebounding an opponent.
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