Monday, March 24
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
USC
30-3,16-1Big Ten
96
vs
59
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Mississippi State
22-12,7-9SEC
1
2
3
4
F
Mississippi St.
8
19
15
17
59
Southern California
28
22
25
21
96
Photo by: Katie Chin
No. 1 Seed USC Women’s Basketball Scores Sweet Sixteen Spot With 96-59 Win Over Bulldogs
March 24, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Kiki Iriafen puts up 36 points for the Trojans in the NCAA Second Round for USC's 30th win of the season.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 1 seed USC women's basketball team earned another trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen after a resounding 96-59 win over No. 9 seed Mississippi State tonight at Galen Center. Now 30-3 overall, USC has locked in its first 30-win season since 1986 as the Trojans set up to travel to Spokane for the next steps in the NCAA Tournament.
USC was shooting a hot-handed 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half to keep the Bulldogs at bay. Mississippi State shot 26.7 percent in the first 20 minutes as the Trojans worked out to a 50-27 halftime lead. The Trojans were also ahead on the boards 50-27, with five 3-pointers landed by the break. The Trojans continued to add to their advantage down the stretch, finishing out the game shooting 52.2 percent overall. Mississippi State ended up at 31.3 percent, and USC outrebounded the Bulldogs 42-34.
During the first quarter, USC's JuJu Watkins sustained a season-ending injury. The Trojans pressed on still, with all active players getting in the game and Kiki Iriafen hitting a season-high 36 points to lead all scorers. Freshman Avery Howell matched her a career high with 18 points, joined in double digits by fellow freshmen Kayleigh Heckel (13 points) and Kennedy Smith (10 point). Senior Rayah Marshall played her last collegiate game at Galen Center and put up 12 points with nine rebounds and four blocks. Mississippi State was led by Jerkaila Jordan's 17 points, with Eniya Russell adding 11 and Destiney McPhaul with 10.
Talia von Oelhoffen set the tone early for the Trojans, nailing a 3-pointer and then dishing to Kennedy Smith for a runner to build a quick 5-0 lead. Smith drained a 3-pointer of her own off a JuJu Watkins feed soon after, and USC was out to a 9-0 advantage three minutes into the action. Kiki Iriafen made it an 11-0 lead with a jumper set up by Watkins before the Bulldogs made their first basket with 5:45 on the clock. After delivering two free throws to net a 13-2 USC lead, Watkins went to the floor with an injury and would not return. USC kept firing, though, and worked out to a 28-8 advantage 10 minutes into the game. The Trojans kept clicking in the next stretch, with Avery Howell hitting her second three of the night and Iriafen continuing to dominate in working her total out to 15 points by halftime. Rayah Marshall had the final word of the half, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that had the Trojans ahead 50-27 at the break.
Iriafen kept firing in the second half, scoring 10 straight points for the Trojans for a rally all her own to lead it 64-34 just over minutes into the third. A three-point play from Marshall after a nifty feed from von Oelhoffen took the Trojans to a 71-37 advantage at 3:30, and after yet another Iriafen strike, Kayleigh Heckel delivered before the buzzer to craft a 75-42 lead at the close of the third. USC's rally ballooned to 17-0 across the quarter break and into the fourth with Heckel providing seven points during USC's fourth-quarter surge to double up Mississippi State with a 90-45 scoreline midway through the fourth. The Bulldog managed a few buckets in the remaining stretch, but the Trojans' ticket to the Sweet Sixteen was already in their pockets as they wrapped up a 96-59 win.
NEXT:
USC will face No. 5 seed Kansas State in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Spokane, Wash., on March 29.
NOTABLE:
- USC's 96 points tonight was the most the Trojans have scored in a NCAA tournament game since scoring 100 points against Nebraska in 1988.
- This is the first time USC has advanced as one of the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament in consecutive years since the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons.
- USC held Mississippi State to a season-low 31.3% shooting percentage.
- GS Kiki Iriafen scored a season-high 36 points (career high is 41 points at Stanford). She has scored in double figures in 33 of the 34 games she has played this season. It is her 13th game this season with 20 or more points and her second 30-point game.
- Iriafen's 36 points was the most by a Trojan in USC's last six NCAA appearances (since 1999 season).
- Iriafen tied her career-high in made field goals with 16. The last time she made 16 field goals was exactly one year ago today while at Stanford (3/24/24).
- FR Avery Howell matched her career highs in points (18) and made 3-pointers (4). She set a career high in assists with six.
- This is Howell's 10th career game scoring in double digits.
- FR Kayleigh Heckel set a career high in assists with six.
- FR Kennedy Smith recorded at least one steal in the past 10 games, with five steals tonight.
- SO Malia Samuels matched her season high in steals with three.
- FR Rian Forestier scored her first NCAA tournament point this evening.
- USC held Mississippi State to eight first-quarter points. It was the fifth consecutive quarter that USC held the opposition to single digits in scoring. It was also the fewest points Mississippi State scored in any first quarter this season.
- USC is now 23-1 when outrebounding an opponent.
- USC is now 27-0 when scoring 70 or more points.
- This is the sixth game this season with five Trojans in double-digit scoring.
- USC had 24 assists on its first 25 baskets and finished with a season-high 29 assists.
- USC had eight blocks in tonight's game. It was the 13th game this season in which the Trojans recorded eight or more blocks.
USC was shooting a hot-handed 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half to keep the Bulldogs at bay. Mississippi State shot 26.7 percent in the first 20 minutes as the Trojans worked out to a 50-27 halftime lead. The Trojans were also ahead on the boards 50-27, with five 3-pointers landed by the break. The Trojans continued to add to their advantage down the stretch, finishing out the game shooting 52.2 percent overall. Mississippi State ended up at 31.3 percent, and USC outrebounded the Bulldogs 42-34.
During the first quarter, USC's JuJu Watkins sustained a season-ending injury. The Trojans pressed on still, with all active players getting in the game and Kiki Iriafen hitting a season-high 36 points to lead all scorers. Freshman Avery Howell matched her a career high with 18 points, joined in double digits by fellow freshmen Kayleigh Heckel (13 points) and Kennedy Smith (10 point). Senior Rayah Marshall played her last collegiate game at Galen Center and put up 12 points with nine rebounds and four blocks. Mississippi State was led by Jerkaila Jordan's 17 points, with Eniya Russell adding 11 and Destiney McPhaul with 10.
Talia von Oelhoffen set the tone early for the Trojans, nailing a 3-pointer and then dishing to Kennedy Smith for a runner to build a quick 5-0 lead. Smith drained a 3-pointer of her own off a JuJu Watkins feed soon after, and USC was out to a 9-0 advantage three minutes into the action. Kiki Iriafen made it an 11-0 lead with a jumper set up by Watkins before the Bulldogs made their first basket with 5:45 on the clock. After delivering two free throws to net a 13-2 USC lead, Watkins went to the floor with an injury and would not return. USC kept firing, though, and worked out to a 28-8 advantage 10 minutes into the game. The Trojans kept clicking in the next stretch, with Avery Howell hitting her second three of the night and Iriafen continuing to dominate in working her total out to 15 points by halftime. Rayah Marshall had the final word of the half, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that had the Trojans ahead 50-27 at the break.
Iriafen kept firing in the second half, scoring 10 straight points for the Trojans for a rally all her own to lead it 64-34 just over minutes into the third. A three-point play from Marshall after a nifty feed from von Oelhoffen took the Trojans to a 71-37 advantage at 3:30, and after yet another Iriafen strike, Kayleigh Heckel delivered before the buzzer to craft a 75-42 lead at the close of the third. USC's rally ballooned to 17-0 across the quarter break and into the fourth with Heckel providing seven points during USC's fourth-quarter surge to double up Mississippi State with a 90-45 scoreline midway through the fourth. The Bulldog managed a few buckets in the remaining stretch, but the Trojans' ticket to the Sweet Sixteen was already in their pockets as they wrapped up a 96-59 win.
NEXT:
USC will face No. 5 seed Kansas State in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Spokane, Wash., on March 29.
NOTABLE:
- USC's 96 points tonight was the most the Trojans have scored in a NCAA tournament game since scoring 100 points against Nebraska in 1988.
- This is the first time USC has advanced as one of the final 16 teams in the NCAA tournament in consecutive years since the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons.
- USC held Mississippi State to a season-low 31.3% shooting percentage.
- GS Kiki Iriafen scored a season-high 36 points (career high is 41 points at Stanford). She has scored in double figures in 33 of the 34 games she has played this season. It is her 13th game this season with 20 or more points and her second 30-point game.
- Iriafen's 36 points was the most by a Trojan in USC's last six NCAA appearances (since 1999 season).
- Iriafen tied her career-high in made field goals with 16. The last time she made 16 field goals was exactly one year ago today while at Stanford (3/24/24).
- FR Avery Howell matched her career highs in points (18) and made 3-pointers (4). She set a career high in assists with six.
- This is Howell's 10th career game scoring in double digits.
- FR Kayleigh Heckel set a career high in assists with six.
- FR Kennedy Smith recorded at least one steal in the past 10 games, with five steals tonight.
- SO Malia Samuels matched her season high in steals with three.
- FR Rian Forestier scored her first NCAA tournament point this evening.
- USC held Mississippi State to eight first-quarter points. It was the fifth consecutive quarter that USC held the opposition to single digits in scoring. It was also the fewest points Mississippi State scored in any first quarter this season.
- USC is now 23-1 when outrebounding an opponent.
- USC is now 27-0 when scoring 70 or more points.
- This is the sixth game this season with five Trojans in double-digit scoring.
- USC had 24 assists on its first 25 baskets and finished with a season-high 29 assists.
- USC had eight blocks in tonight's game. It was the 13th game this season in which the Trojans recorded eight or more blocks.
Team Stats
MS
USC
FG%
.313
.522
3FG%
.273
.333
FT%
.889
.783
RB
34
42
TO
20
16
STL
13
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
36
FGM
16
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
18
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballUSC 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
