JuJu ‘banged up,’ but USC advances

The Trojans move on to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament

Los Angeles, CA (News4usOnline) – The USC Trojans have their eyes set on a National Championship, and anything short of that would be viewed as a disappointment. They took their first step towards achieving that goal with a 71-25 win over UNC Greensboro in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

JuJu Watkins asserted her dominance, leading the Trojans with 22 points while also pulling down eight rebounds and grabbing three steals. For as good of an offensive player as Watkins is, her game-changing abilities on the defensive end might be the most valuable part of her game. Her presence as a disruptor is unmatched.

The Trojans will go as far as Watkins takes them, but they look like a much more well-rounded team than during her freshman season last year.

Rayah Marshall and Kiki Iriafen give the Trojans elite size and senior leadership at the center and power forward positions. Iriafen finished with a team-high 13 rebounds, and Marshall shut down the lane, blocking seven shots.

“Rayah really is the anchor of this team; there is no us without Rayah. She is the unsung hero. She is one of the veterans who has been here for four years. She is so vocal and positive, so she is impacting the game if she is on the court or not, and she instills a lot of confidence in us,” said Iriafen.

The two freshmen, Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel, have also added some much-needed scoring and playmaking off the bench, allowing Watkins to take a breather from time to time.

UNC Greensboro held No. 1 seed USC in check for the first five minutes of the game and only trailed by only four points after a quarter of play, but the Trojans turned up their intensity in the second, holding the Spartans to only three points.

“I think (the rust) was pretty evident. We were excited to be playing again because we had not played in about two weeks. I think our defense really helped us in that first half, staying in the game, and then the coach talked some sense into us, and we came out much better in the second half,” said Iriafen.

USC blitzed UNC Greensboro in the third quarter, outscoring the Spartans 25-5, taking a 37-point lead into the final period of play.

Watkins appeared to suffer a leg injury in the third quarter and limped to the bench after hitting a three-pointer. The Trojan faithful breathed a sigh of relief as Watkins subbed back in at the start of the fourth quarter and played four more minutes before finishing up her night. She also fell on her wrist at one point in the first half and had it tapped up coming out of halftime.

“It is the end of the season. My body is a little banged up, but on to the next. Nobody really cares, so it is just on to the next,” said Watkins.

She seems to be okay, but if Watkins is not at 100 percent for any reason during the tournament, Heckel is the player who has to step up. Coming out of high school, she was the number 13 ranked player in the 2024 class, and she has the talent to be an incredibly impactful playmaker on the offensive end when Watkins is not handling the ball.

When Heckel plays her game at a high level, she is a difference-maker who takes the Trojans to a different tier of greatness. She finished the game with eight points, four steals, two assists, and an impressive contested and one reverse layup.

“My teammates are super supportive of me, and I feel like every time anyone does anything good on the court, we are hyping each other up as much as possible. It is cool that my teammates are so supportive of me,” said Heckel.

If she keeps building her confidence and remains aggressive on both ends of the floor, Heckel will have a massive impact on USC’s March Madness run.

Featured Image: OS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribble up the court during the UNC Greensboro Spartans game versus the USC Trojans in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Championship on March 22, 2025, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)