On Saturday, February 8, USC women’s basketball took on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a top-ten-ranked conference match-up. It was a back-and-forth early on before the Lady Trojans pulled away for another 20-point blowout with the final score of 85-64 (the 14th one this season).
“I’m proud of our team because we knew this game would be about toughness, and I feel like we answered that call tonight,” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in the post-game interview. ” We had some adversity early in the game with turnovers, but the team overcame them, and I’m proud of them for that.” USC had 11 turnovers in the first half and 18 all together.
While the hiccups early made the game seem close, freshman guard Kennedy Smith and senior forward KiKi Irafen set the tone for the game with their physicality and versatility on both sides of the court. ” We asked a lot out of both of them today, and they showed up. Kiki has taken significant strides in her defensive game, and it has shown in the challenge she presents to teams.” Gottlieb said. ” Smith is extremely special, being able to guard 1-5 while guarding players with different skill sets. They both contributed to how dominant we were in the paint.”
Irafen went 8-18 with 8 made FT (free throws), 13 rebounds and 24 points. Smith went 4-6 (three 3’s), 13 rebounds, and 13 points. Senior center Rayah Marshall also contributed to the physicality displayed by USC, going 5-7(10 points) with 8 rebounds and four blocks.
” Coming into the season, coach told me she had a plan for me, and it starts with my versatility on both offense and defense, which helps me set the tone for myself,” Smith said during her post-game interview.
Juju Watkins had a frustrating night as Ohio State keened on her, resulting in her going 5-21 with 10 rebounds and 17 points.
USC takes on Crosstown rivals UCLA, currently ranked number 1 in the country. This top ten match-up is a preview of a potential tournament game in the future.
