Indiana vs No. 4 USC | Big Ten | 1.19.25

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — January 19th, 2025

Fair Use Notice: The Women’s Basketball Alliance (WBA) highlights are shared under Fair Use as transformative content for educational, promotional, and analytical purposes. By curating and presenting condensed game footage, we provide commentary, foster public engagement, and promote the growth of women’s basketball. For copyright concerns, contact us at [email protected], all claims will be reviewed promptly.

Recap below...

The No. 4 USC women's basketball team weathered an Indiana scoring storm and crafted a 12-0 rally in the fourth to take the lead for good and then fend off the host Hoosiers for a 73-66 Trojan victory today in Bloomington, Ind. It was USC's first-ever trip to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, which was packed with over 12,000 fans who saw the lead switch hands eight times before the Trojans made their winning move. USC is now 17-1 overall and 7-0 in Big Ten play in winning its 13th straight game. Indiana goes to 12-6, 4-3 with today's decision.

USC countered a 12-0 Indiana run in the first quarter with a 14-2 Trojan rally in the second to lead things 38-32 at halftime. USC was shooting 42.3 percent from the floor to that point after going 25 percent in the first quarter. Indiana was at 37 percent at the half, and USC was up on the boards 19-14. USC cooled again in the third but got warm enough in the fourth to close out that game shooting 39 percent overall with six 3-pointers landed. Indiana hit at a 37.5-percent clip and tallied eight threes on the day. USC also ended up outrebounding the Hoosiers 38-35. On the free-throw front, USC was 21-of-24 and Indiana went 16-of-22.

USC had all four starters score in double digits today, led by JuJu Watson's 22 points. Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith had 14 apiece, while Rayah Marshall registered her 38th career double-double on 13 points and 10 rebounds. Talia von Oelhoffen also weighed in with 10 points for the Trojan cause. Indiana had four Hoosiers in double figures, paced by Sydney Parrish's 16 points and 10 rebounds along with 13 points from Chloe Moore-McNeil and 10 each by Karoline Striplin and Yarden Garzon.

USC got out to a good start with four straight points from Kiki Iriafen and a Kennedy Smith 3-pointer that followed the Hoosiers' first bucket, but the Trojans saw their 9-2 advantage melt away when Indiana started hitting. The hosts fired off on a 12-0 run to take an 18-11 lead with two minutes left in the first frame. The Trojans got some free throws to fall, but came up empty from the floor for the last 6:45 of that first quarter to trail 19-14 after 10 minutes of action. USC's deficit would dip to a 25-14 hole a minute into the second before the Trojans found a spark. Talia von Oelhoffen and JuJu Watkins each uncorked a 3-pointer for the Trojan cause, and after Indiana scored a bucket it was USC's Rayah Marshall who stepped up next. She converted on back-to-back three-point plays to get USC one back. Iriafen delivered next, and USC had squeaked back on top 28-27 with 5:30 on the clock thanks to that 14-2 rally. The Hoosiers hit a three to edge back ahead with 4:52 to go, but that would be the last bucket Indiana scored from the floor the rest of the half. USC scored six straight to steal back into the lead at 34-30 with 2:47 remaining in the half. Three free throws fell for the Hoosiers before the break, but the last word was had by USC's Smith with a spinning take to the hoop to get USC a 38-32 lead at halftime.

The third unfurled as a back-and-forth battle before the Hoosiers landed a couple late threes, carving into USC's lead and then stealing it away with a Indiana's sixth 3-pointer of the day to go up 50-48 in the final minute. Watkins would unleash a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, however, and USC was up 51-50 entering the fourth. Indiana hit again out of the gates with five quick points to nudge ahead 55-51. A von Oelhoffen 3-pointer drained next, though, and USC would fire off 12 unanswered points to go up 63-55 with 4:27 to go. After almost six minutes of scoring silence, Indiana hit two free throws at 4:08 to break up USC's surge, and the see-saw battle was back underway. Smith drilled a three at 1:22, and the Hoosiers hit back with a three and a bucket to make it 70-66 with 1:30 on the clock. That margin would hold until Marshall hit the back end of a trip to the stripe with 27 ticks to go, edging USC ahead 71-66. The Trojans broke the press next and found a fine finish from Iriafen off a von Oelhoffen feed, netting a 73-66 USC advantage with under 11 seconds left remaining, and the scoreboard would sit at that final for the buzzer.

Written by USCtrojans.com

https://usctrojans.com/news/2025/1/19...