No. 3 USC tipped off the 2024-25 women’s college basketball season with a gritty 68-66 win over No. 20 Ole Miss in Paris. It was a bit of a sloppy game for both teams, but the stars gave us a preview of how electric this season could be.
With the game tied 66-66 and less than 30 seconds remaining, USC’s Kiki Iriafen had a chance to take a layup, but she opted to pass instead. The ball eventually came back to her, and she was able to get to the free throw line. Iriafen made both attempts, giving USC a two-point lead with 9.6 seconds remaining. The Trojans defense did the rest.
Unfortunately for Ole Miss, the player who fouled Iriafen was Kirsten Deans, who was making some key baskets late in the game. That was her fifth foul, so the Rebels were not able to rely on her for their last possession
USC star JuJu Watkins led all scorers with 27 points, while the Stanford transfer Iriafen contributed 22 points in her first game with the Trojans.
If the Trojans got anything out of this game, it should be they have to take care of the ball better. Turnovers were not really an issue for USC last year, but the team registered 26 on Monday, nine of them coming from Watkins.
