USC sees Final Four and title hopes dashed 

(News4usOnline) – In their Sweet 16 game domination of Mississippi State, the USC women’s basketball team showed fortitude and fire in a near 40-point blowout win at Galen Center. 

Even when star guard JuJu Watkins sustained a season-ending knee injury, the Women of Troy did more than fight on; they showed depth and resilience. 

Kiki Iriafen stepped in for the injured Watkins and had herself a coming out party of sorts with 36 points (16 of 22 shooting from the field) and nine rebounds. Unfortunately for Iriafen and the Trojans, that jubilation would end there. 

YOUR USC TROJANS ARE ELITE. pic.twitter.com/9X4Q7tBIu1

— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) March 30, 2025

The absence of Watkins from the starting lineup against UConn in an Elite Eight matchup, with the spotlight shining brightly, was telling. 

In 40 minutes of game action, Iriafen could not get the Trojans over the hump against the Huskies as she struggled mightily from the floor, missing on 12 of her 15 attempts from the field and finishing the game with 10 points. 

With no Watkins and a struggling Iriafen, the Trojans proved to be no match for UConn. The Huskies pulled away from a semi-close game with a 78-64 win. This is not how the Trojans envisioned their season ending. 

“We lost a National Player of the Year, probable, one week ago today and we’ve won two NCAA tournament games, second and Sweet 16 rounds, because they really became a team,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. 

“And I was just very proud of the way that we competed tonight. I think you saw the heart and character of our team on display, and I’m disappointed for them that we don’t get to go to Tampa and get two more games, but I’m not sad with the way this group represented themselves and I think our senior class is really, really special,” Gottlieb added. 

The Trojans were a virtual lock to make it to the Final Four until Watkins suffered her catastrophic injury in the first quarter of USC’s runaway victory against Mississippi State. 

The prospect of playing crosstown rival UCLA for a possible fourth time this season had to be on the Trojans’ minds. 

USC had beaten the Bruins twice in the three times they had played one another. The Trojans claimed the Big Ten Conference regular season championship, while the Bruins won the conference tournament title. 

Funko Pop JuJu is locked in. pic.twitter.com/pmuTbUvXBi

— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) April 1, 2025

So, the possibility of a fourth showdown between No. 1 UCLA and No. 3 USC would have been a doozy to watch. But as fate would have it, it simply was not to be. Paige Bueckers and the Huskies saw to that. 

Bueckers was almost indefensible against the Trojans, scoring 31 points after connecting on half of her shots from the field (9 of 18). But she was not alone in doing work against the Trojans. Scoring 22 points and securing 17 rebounds, UConn’s Sarah Strong proved to be too much of a physical presence in the paint for USC to handle. 

“We got a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of toughness about us and we play together as a team. We’re super well connected,” said Bueckers. “I feel like every team that I’ve played on we’ve been super well connected, but just the way — we’ve been through so much adversity as individuals, as a team, and how much it’s brought us together, how much it’s made us stronger.” 

Rayah Marshall of USC tried her best to offset Strong’s performance with 23 points and 15 rebounds, but she had little help. Now, a dream season has come to an end for the Trojans. 

Though their ultimate goal of competing for a national title is over, the Trojans have some achievements they can be proud of. USC won 30 games (31-4) this season and captured the Big Ten Conference crown in their first season.      

“We all went down fighting as a Trojan and that’s the culture, continue to fight on,” Marshall said. 

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