JuJu Watkins, Kiki Iriafen lead No. 4 USC to win over No. 25 Illinois
JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen both scored 22 points as the No. 4 USC Trojans knocked off No. 25 Illinois 76-66 to retain possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference with one game to play.
It wasn’t exactly a scare from the Illini in this one but the Trojans had work to do in the second half when Illinois surged ahead 42-41 with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter. It was the Illini’s first lead since the first quarter and capped a 14-2 run for Illinois over about eight minutes of gameplay. It also sent the Trojans on a run of their own.
Rayah Marshall turned it on over the next few minutes, scoring back-to-back layups to put the Trojans ahead for good. The second was a standout play when she jumped out for a steal and paid it off with a fast-break layup. Marshall hit a jumper a short while later and the Trojans held a 53-44 lead with 3:34 in the third. Marshall had a phenomenal performance on Senior Day, finishing with 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
The Trojans pushed their lead to 18 points with 4:40 to play and while the Illini cut it to eight at 74-66 with 1:08 left, the game was never in doubt in the fourth quarter. Watkins finished the Trojans’ scoring with four free throws late to finish with 22 points, five rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and a steal. She did miss all four of her three-point attempts, breaking a streak of 21-straight games with a made three-pointer.
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Freshman point guard Kayleigh Heckel had a solid performance, finishing with five points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
USC finishes its regular season next week with a big-time showdown against No. 3 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. That game will tip off Sunday, March 1 at 6 pm and will air on FOX. UCLA will first play at Wisconsin this Wednesday and the two programs will likely head into Sunday’s game with identical 15-1 records in conference play. If that holds, Sunday’s game will be for the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and possibly a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans and Bruins are already guaranteed to be the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Big Ten Tournament in some order.
