No. 5 USC vs Fresno State | NCAA Women's Basketball | 12.10.24

LOS ANGELES, California — December 10th, 2024

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Recap below...

Kiki Iriafen posted her fourth consecutive double-double of the season to lead 10 Trojan scorers, as the No. 5 USC women's basketball earned a 89-40 victory over Fresno State today at Galen Center. USC improves to 9-1 overall, and Fresno State falls to 7-4.

Fresno State started with the hotter hand, but USC fired into gear near the end of the first quarter, kicking off a 16-0 run that extended into the second quarter. In the first half, the Trojans shot 55.2 percent to outperform Fresno State's 28.6 percent overall on the floor. USC's Rayah Marshall had 11 rebounds by halftime, helping the Trojans lead the battle of the boards 22-12 by the break. USC dominated down below, outscoring Fresno State 42-4 in the paint. The Trojans wrapped up the contest shooting 47.6 percent to best the Bulldogs' 27.1 percent, and USC ended up out-rebounding Fresno State 48-20.

Kiki Iriafen led the Trojans in buckets and boards, notching her fourth straight double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. JuJu Watkins recorded 21 points and five assists, and Rayah Marshall finished the day pulling down a season-high 13 boards. For the Bulldogs, Mia Jacobs and Holly Griffiths scored 11 points apiece.

Fresno State got out to an early lead, going up 10-6 before a 3-pointer from JuJu Watkins put some wind back in the Trojans' sails. USC rode an 8-0 run topped off by a Watkins three-point play to get back on top. In the final two minutes of the first frame, Avery Howell knocked down a 3-pointer that kicked USC off on another rally — a 16-0 stretch that spanned into the second quarter. With that surge, USC led it 30-12 with 7:54 on the clock. The final four minutes of the half belonged to the Trojans as well, with USC scoring the last 12 points to boast a 46-20 halftime advantage.

USC stayed in a groove to open the second half, making it a 22-0 rally as the Trojans scored the first 10 points of the second half. That run was highlighted by a three-point play from Kiki Iriafen and a steal and score from Kayleigh Heckel. Fresno State finally snapped out of over 10 minutes of scoring silence with a 3-pointer at 7:40 in the third, but the Trojan lead was already a daunting 56-23 after that Bulldog bucket. Howell would knock down two more threes later in the third, netting her third just before the buzzer to make it a 70-26 USC lead entering the fourth. In that last 10 minutes, USC had four more Trojans join the scoresheet in Clarice Akunwafo, Vivian Iwuchukwu, Talia von Oelhoffen and Rian Forestier to help round out a 89-40 USC victory.

NEXT:
USC now sets up for another game at Galen Center this week, hosting Elon at 12 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 15).

NOTABLE:
With 24 points and 12 rebounds, GS Kiki Iriafen recorded her fourth straight double-double.
SO JuJu Watkins (21 points) and Iriafen (24) have now both scored in double digits in all 10 USC games this season.
Iriafen scored 24 points tonight, and has averaged 22.23 points in her last four games (89 total points).
Watkins has now scored 20 or more points in 36 of her 44 career games at USC.
With one 3-pointer made, Watkins has hit at least one three in the past five games.
SR Rayah Marshall recorded a season-high 13 rebounds.
With seven points tonight, Marshall moved up to No. 26 all-time in career scoring at USC (1,079 points).
With three 3-pointers made, FR Avery Howell has hit 10 threes in the last five games. This is her third game this season with three 3-pointers made.
FR Rian Forestier tied her career high with six points scored and made her first two 3-point baskets of the season (2-for-2).
USC has won by at least 30 points in seven of its nine wins this season.
USC's defense held Fresno State to a season-low 40 points tonight.
USC outrebounded Fresno State 48-20 and improved to 9-0 when outrebounding its opponent.
The Trojans outscored the Bulldogs 23-0 in fast-break points, and outscored them 42-4 in points in the paint.
USC now leads the all-time series with Fresno State 10-4. The Trojans won the last meeting 62-61 at the Galen Center on November 28, 2018.

Written by USCTrojans.com

https://usctrojans.com/news/2024/12/1...