Sunday, February 23
Los Angeles, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
USC
25-2,15-1Big Ten
76
vs
66
Illinois
21-7,11-6Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Illinois
22
14
11
19
66
Southern California
26
14
17
19
76
Team Stats
Illini
USC
FG%
.415
.424
3FG%
.333
.211
FT%
.833
.889
RB
38
38
TO
17
10
STL
5
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
10
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ 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: Katie Chin
No. 4 USC Women’s Basketball Scores 76-66 Win Over No. 25 Illinois On Senior Day
February 23, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Rayah Marshall records her 39th career double-double in the victory over the Fighting Illini.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 4 USC women's basketball team fended off the visiting No. 25 Fighting Illini with a 76-66 victory in the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and Illinois. While JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen both put up 22 points for USC, senior Rayah Marshall hauled in a double-double to help anchor a key Big Ten win for the Trojans. USC is now 25-2 overall and 15-1 in conference play, while Illinois goes to 21-7, 11-6.
At the game today, USC honored its five graduating Trojans — Clarice Akunwafo, Dominique Darius, Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen — in a Senior Day celebration.
For the ninth time this season, Iriafen and Watkins both passed the 20-point mark together, each with a game-high 22 points on the day. Marshall packed the stat sheet with 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Illinois received 22 points from Genesis Bryant, who hit five 3-pointers, along with a double-double from Kendall Bostic with 14 point and 16 rebounds, along with 14 points from Berry Wallace.
Both teams were shooting well to open things, and the score snarled up even four times. Illinois went ahead 13-10 with a three-point play, prompting USC to bite back. A cool 3-pointer from Kennedy Smith pulled USC even, and then JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen each struck with fine finishes to build a 17-13 advantage for the Trojans with 4:24 on the clock. Illinois interrupted a 9-0 USC rally with a bucket, only to see Avery Howell land a three and Watkins deliver again to build out a 24-15 USC lead at 2:15. Illinois wouldn't go away, however, and one last 3-pointer from the Illini made it a four-point game at the close of the first with USC up 26-22. It was a seesaw battle to start the second until another Smith three sparked a 7-0 USC surge to lead it 37-26 at 5:45. Again, the Illini had an answer, ending the half by outscoring USC 8-1 to make it a 40-36 margin at the break.
USC's dry spell continued in the second half while Illinois struck twice to level the score 40-40 with 7:41 on the clock. The Illini followed a single USC free throw with a score that edged Illinois into the lead — but only momentarily. Rayah Marshall lit the fuse on a 6-0 USC rally, netting back-to-back buckets around a steal of her own before Watkins hit to get the Trojans ahead 47-42 midway through the third. Another 6-0 USC surge followed Illinois' next basket, and Iriafen nailed a jumper in the final minute to take the Trojans to a 57-47 lead entering the fourth. Kayleigh Heckel brought some juice to the Trojan efforts in the final frame, nabbing an early steal and converting and then later hitting a key 3-pointer that gave USC a 66-52 lead with 6:20 to go. Illinois got some 3-pointers to fall later, landing three in just over two minutes to bring the margin to 74-66 with 1:08 on the clock. Watkins would have the final word with another perfect trip to the free-throw line in the final minute, and Heckel wrapped the day with a steal to secure USC's 76-66 win over visiting Illinois.
NEXT:
USC's regular-season finale takes the Trojans across town to square off against rival UCLA for the second time this season. USC visits the Bruins for a 6 p.m. meeting on Saturday (March 1) at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood.
NOTABLE:
- With this win, the Trojans move to 25-2 overall and 15-1 in conference play. The 25-2 record through the first 27 games is USC's best since the 1982-83 season.
- With 12 points, SR Rayah Marshall moves to No. 21 in all-time in scoring with 1,191 career points.
- With 13 rebounds, Marshall notched her 39th career double-double and fourth one of the season (Previous: vs. Indiana on 1/19/25).
- With 11 defensive rebounds, Marshall matched her season high.
- Marshall set her season high in steals with four.
- With 22 points, GS Kiki Iriafen has scored in double digits in 26 of the 27 games she has played this season.
- This was Iriafen's 10th game as a Trojan scoring at least 20 points.
- With 22 points, SO JuJu Watkins has scored in double figures in all 27 games this season and in all but one career game (9 vs. Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship game on March 20, 2024).
- Watkins now ranks No. 11 all-time in scoring at USC with 1,574 career points, surpassing Cynthia Cooper.
- This is the fourth time this season that Watkins has been perfect from the charity stripe (today 10-10).
- With four blocks this afternoon, Watkins has recorded 26 total blocks against Big Ten teams.
- Now with 654 points this season, Watkins has recorded the 10th most single-season points by a Trojan.
- This is the ninth game where Iriafen and Watkins have each recorded 20+ points (Last: Iriafen (24) and Watkins (28) vs. Michigan State on 2/19/25).
- FR Avery Howell has recorded at least one three in 14 of 16 games vs. Big 10 opponents.
- With one steal, FR Kennedy Smith has recorded at least one steal in 17 of 20 games played.
- The Trojans are 21-0 when shooting over 40% from the field (42.4% tonight).
- The Trojans move to 22-0 when scoring over 70 points, and 21-0 when it keeps opponents to under 70 points.
- With 20 total assists, USC has recorded 20 or more assists in 10 games this season.
- USC picked up its 25th win this season (25-2), the seventh most wins in a single season in program history.
- USC is now 8-1 against ranked opponents.
At the game today, USC honored its five graduating Trojans — Clarice Akunwafo, Dominique Darius, Kiki Iriafen, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen — in a Senior Day celebration.
USC's hot 67-percent scoring pace in the first quarter cooled in the second, but the Trojans were shooting 51.6 percent overall by halftime, ahead of Illinois' 48.4 percent. The Illini had a 16-15 edge on the boards at the break, but it was USC leading on the scoreboard 40-36 at halftime. The teams wrapped the day even on the rebounding front 38-38, and USC shot 42.4 percent overall by the final buzzer. Illinois finished at 41.5 percent while hitting seven 3-pointers.Five seniors, endless memories.
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 23, 2025
Grateful for the group and everything they've given our program! ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/zQ7nnJvCfV
For the ninth time this season, Iriafen and Watkins both passed the 20-point mark together, each with a game-high 22 points on the day. Marshall packed the stat sheet with 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Illinois received 22 points from Genesis Bryant, who hit five 3-pointers, along with a double-double from Kendall Bostic with 14 point and 16 rebounds, along with 14 points from Berry Wallace.
Both teams were shooting well to open things, and the score snarled up even four times. Illinois went ahead 13-10 with a three-point play, prompting USC to bite back. A cool 3-pointer from Kennedy Smith pulled USC even, and then JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen each struck with fine finishes to build a 17-13 advantage for the Trojans with 4:24 on the clock. Illinois interrupted a 9-0 USC rally with a bucket, only to see Avery Howell land a three and Watkins deliver again to build out a 24-15 USC lead at 2:15. Illinois wouldn't go away, however, and one last 3-pointer from the Illini made it a four-point game at the close of the first with USC up 26-22. It was a seesaw battle to start the second until another Smith three sparked a 7-0 USC surge to lead it 37-26 at 5:45. Again, the Illini had an answer, ending the half by outscoring USC 8-1 to make it a 40-36 margin at the break.
USC's dry spell continued in the second half while Illinois struck twice to level the score 40-40 with 7:41 on the clock. The Illini followed a single USC free throw with a score that edged Illinois into the lead — but only momentarily. Rayah Marshall lit the fuse on a 6-0 USC rally, netting back-to-back buckets around a steal of her own before Watkins hit to get the Trojans ahead 47-42 midway through the third. Another 6-0 USC surge followed Illinois' next basket, and Iriafen nailed a jumper in the final minute to take the Trojans to a 57-47 lead entering the fourth. Kayleigh Heckel brought some juice to the Trojan efforts in the final frame, nabbing an early steal and converting and then later hitting a key 3-pointer that gave USC a 66-52 lead with 6:20 to go. Illinois got some 3-pointers to fall later, landing three in just over two minutes to bring the margin to 74-66 with 1:08 on the clock. Watkins would have the final word with another perfect trip to the free-throw line in the final minute, and Heckel wrapped the day with a steal to secure USC's 76-66 win over visiting Illinois.
NEXT:
USC's regular-season finale takes the Trojans across town to square off against rival UCLA for the second time this season. USC visits the Bruins for a 6 p.m. meeting on Saturday (March 1) at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood.
NOTABLE:
- With this win, the Trojans move to 25-2 overall and 15-1 in conference play. The 25-2 record through the first 27 games is USC's best since the 1982-83 season.
- With 12 points, SR Rayah Marshall moves to No. 21 in all-time in scoring with 1,191 career points.
- With 13 rebounds, Marshall notched her 39th career double-double and fourth one of the season (Previous: vs. Indiana on 1/19/25).
- With 11 defensive rebounds, Marshall matched her season high.
- Marshall set her season high in steals with four.
- With 22 points, GS Kiki Iriafen has scored in double digits in 26 of the 27 games she has played this season.
- This was Iriafen's 10th game as a Trojan scoring at least 20 points.
- With 22 points, SO JuJu Watkins has scored in double figures in all 27 games this season and in all but one career game (9 vs. Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship game on March 20, 2024).
- Watkins now ranks No. 11 all-time in scoring at USC with 1,574 career points, surpassing Cynthia Cooper.
- This is the fourth time this season that Watkins has been perfect from the charity stripe (today 10-10).
- With four blocks this afternoon, Watkins has recorded 26 total blocks against Big Ten teams.
- Now with 654 points this season, Watkins has recorded the 10th most single-season points by a Trojan.
- This is the ninth game where Iriafen and Watkins have each recorded 20+ points (Last: Iriafen (24) and Watkins (28) vs. Michigan State on 2/19/25).
- FR Avery Howell has recorded at least one three in 14 of 16 games vs. Big 10 opponents.
- With one steal, FR Kennedy Smith has recorded at least one steal in 17 of 20 games played.
- The Trojans are 21-0 when shooting over 40% from the field (42.4% tonight).
- The Trojans move to 22-0 when scoring over 70 points, and 21-0 when it keeps opponents to under 70 points.
- With 20 total assists, USC has recorded 20 or more assists in 10 games this season.
- USC picked up its 25th win this season (25-2), the seventh most wins in a single season in program history.
- USC is now 8-1 against ranked opponents.
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
