A lot of things went wrong for the USC women’s basketball team on Wednesday night. First of all, the Trojans learned before they started their game at unbeaten and No. 8-ranked Maryland that starter Talia von Oelhoffen would not play due to injury. That was an obvious concern for the Trojans.
Then the game started. Things got worse.
JuJu Watkins struggled on offense. The refs called a lot of touch fouls on USC and allowed Maryland to hack JuJu at the other end of the court. Several USC women’s basketball players got into foul trouble, which affected their defense as the game went on.
Maryland played a good, tough game. Terrapin head coach Brenda Freese is one of the best coaches in college basketball. She has been at Maryland for almost 25 years and knows how to get her team to play with toughness and force. USC women’s basketball had to absorb all of Maryland’s force throughout this game. The Terps were feisty, ferocious, and formidable. Maryland led 66-59 midway through the fourth quarter. USC’s offense struggled once again in the face of a tough defense. It looked like this game was slipping away. It would have been entirely understandable if the Trojans had not brought it home.
They refused to accept being second-best on this night in College Park.
USC rallied for a gutsy, hugely impressive 79-74 win. Maryland endured its first loss of the season. Let’s go through the various important details of this win and what it means for USC women’s basketball going forward:
JUJU WATKINS OFF NIGHT
JuJu Watkins is imperfect. She’s mortal, just like the rest of us. Imperfect games are going to happen. This was a night when it just didn’t come together for JuJu. She hit 7 of 19 shots, 1 of 5 on 3-pointers, and committed 8 turnovers. Maryland made life hard for her. Passing out of double-teams didn’t come as easily as it does when JuJu is reading the game well. JuJu did not get to the rim as often as she would like. Maryland turned her into a 17-foot jump shooter.
For USC to win in spite of JuJu struggling is hugely impressive.
JUJU WATKINS TOUGHNESS
As much as JuJu Watkins struggled, she still battled and made some important plays in spite of all the difficulties she encountered in this game. JuJu scored four key points in a 40-second span with under three minutes left, enabling USC to keep the game tied (72-72) going into the final two minutes. JuJu fouled out in the final minute, but she helped USC stay afloat. Toughness in spite of adversity was the theme for every USC player in this game.
KENNEDY SMITH
Kennedy Smith, a freshman, was understandably thrown off by the tight, imbalanced whistle she and USC players received. Smith got called for some touch fouls and was therefore a little shy about guarding the ball at times. Maryland was able to drive to the basket and finish several times against Smith, who is usually a lockdown defender. Smith was visibly frustrated, and so many things went against her in this game.
That did not stop her. Smith scored seven straight points for USC to lead the 9-2 run which brought the Trojans back from a 66-59 deficit. Kennedy Smith made winning plays and overcame all sorts of obstacles. What a winner USC has in its freshman class.
KAYLEIGH HECKEL
Talia von Oelhoffen being out meant more minutes and more responsibilities for Kayleigh Heckel. The freshman stepped up big for USC women’s basketball at both ends of the court. How does 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and only 1 turnover sound? Heckel made smart plays and gave USC an infusion of offense. She was terrific, and a huge reason the Trojans won this game.
AVERY HOWELL
Avery Howell, like Kayleigh Heckel, scored 10 points off the bench for USC. She hit two big 3-pointers and then made clutch free throws at the end to seal the win. USC has the No. 1-ranked freshman class in women’s college basketball. These freshmen are proving why they were so highly-rated.
KIKI IRIAFEN
Kiki Iriafen seemed to evolve not just as a basketball player in this game, but as a USC Trojan. What we mean is that she has a specific way of playing as a teammate of JuJu Watkins. Since JuJu will dominate the ball on the perimeter, it makes natural sense for Kiki to plant herself in the paint and the low block and score within four feet of the basket. Iriafen did that against Maryland, scoring 21 points and earning 9 free throw attempts. That seems to be the formula for Kiki Iriafen and USC. Fewer jump shots, more low-post touches. Kiki Iriafen played a smart, tough game to help the Trojans win.
RAYAH MARSHALL
One thing Maryland and Brenda Freese were able to do well for large portions of this game was to get Rayah Marshall away from a driving lane. Maryland took Kennedy Smith or Kiki Iriafen one-on-one on the dribble in situations when Rayah Marshall was not able to provide help defense and deter shots with her size and length.
Late in this game, when USC locked down the Maryland offense and brought home the win, Rayah Marshall was blocking shots and disrupting the Terrapins’ offense. Marshall being the last line of defense as a rim protector and shot blocker became the defining difference for the Trojans when they really needed it. Oh, and 15 rebounds also meant quite a lot for USC, too.
BIG TEN BASKETBALL SHOWDOWNS
USC-Maryland wasn’t the only huge Big Ten women’s basketball game on Wednesday night. Ohio State remained unbeaten by coming back from a 13-point halftime deficit on the road to beat Michigan. Ohio State and USC both scored tough, gutsy road wins against good opponents. With USC beating Maryland, Ohio State and USC both jumped ahead of Maryland on Wednesday in the Big Ten standings, joining UCLA at the top. USC, though, beat Maryland, the first head-to-head win for any team in the top four of the Big Ten. Ohio State and Maryland have not played each other. UCLA and Maryland have not played each other. Ohio State and UCLA have not played each other. USC has drawn first blood at the top of the Big Ten.
NO. 1 SEED
USC now has wins at UConn and Maryland. That’s as good a pair of road wins as you will find in women’s college basketball. USC also has wins over Michigan, Nebraska, and Ole Miss. Its only loss is to Notre Dame, an elite team. This is a No. 1 seed-level resume. As long as USC doesn’t stumble more than once or twice the rest of the way, it should be in great shape for a No. 1 seed.
JANUARY JOY
USC women’s basketball, in the remainder of January, plays these five opponents: Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota. Only Indiana represents an appreciably dangerous opponent from that group, and even then, IU is not nearly as good as the Maryland team USC just defeated. The Trojans are 15-1. At the end of January, they should be 20-1. The schedule gets much tougher in the first half of February, but after winning this Maryland game, USC has a favorable slate the next three weeks.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’s basketball earns epic road win with late comeback at Maryland
