Spokane regional: Without JuJu Watkins, USC leans on freshman to beat Kansas State 67-61

The USC Trojans were playing without their first-team All-American guard. And their other star player was having an off game.

But a pair of unheralded freshmen came up big for USC in the Sweet 16, lifting the No. 1-seeded Trojans to a 67-61 win over fifth-seeded Kansas State on Saturday evening in front of a full house at the Arena.

True freshman guards Avery Howell – a Boise High grad – and Kennedy Smith combined for 37 points to lead the Trojans (31-3), who advanced to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season despite being down their best player. Sophomore guard JuJu Watkins, a national player of the year candidate and the No. 5 scorer in the country (23.9 points per game), suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the first quarter of USC’s second-round win over Mississippi State on Monday.

“There’s so much love for JuJu in our program, and everyone values her and knows there’s no one like her,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “But we never had the feeling, ‘Oh, no, all of our goals are gone,’ and neither has JuJu. … You saw the team stick together and compete.”

The Trojans will face No. 2 seed UConn at 6 p.m. Monday at the Arena.

“We still have the common goal of winning a national championship,” Smith said.

USC found a way to advance despite a rough offensive performance from third-team All-American forward Kiki Iriafen, who was held to seven points on 3-of-13 shooting. Iriafen scored 36 points during USC’s win over Mississippi State.

Smith, a Southern California native, had a season-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Howell, the reigning Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, matched her season high with 18 points, adding a season-best eight rebounds and four steals. Howell, averaging 7.1 points per game, shot 4 of 8 on 3-pointers, with a few of those coming in clutch moments.

“Coming (to USC), we knew there was going to be a level we needed to get to, and our coaches let us grow into those roles,” Howell said. “This is a moment everyone wants to be a part of. For us freshmen, we’re able to be in these situations because of our staff, letting us play in games, getting those reps, and we have a lot of leaders to look up to on this team.”

Smith scored 11 points in the first quarter as USC jumped out to a seven-point lead. But the Wildcats (28-8) played stifling defense in the second period and took a 30-28 halftime lead.

Howell’s 3-pointer sparked a 12-0 Trojans run midway through the third quarter that ended with the favorites seemingly back in rhythm and up by seven points. USC didn’t trail for the rest of the game, but it got a bit dicey late.

Kansas State, sparked by exceptional driving plays from All-Big 12 guard Serena Sundell (22 points, six rebounds, six assists), stayed right on USC’s heels until the final moments. The Trojans didn’t score a field goal over the final 4:35 but managed to draw contact in the paint and stay in front with foul shots.

With her team clinging to a 63-61 lead with about 30 seconds left, Howell induced a foul in the frontcourt and made both free throws to give USC some breathing room. Kansas State couldn’t get a clean look on the ensuing possession.

“What can I say about our freshmen? They’re winners above everything else,” Gottlieb said.

Senior forward Rayah Marshall added 10 points and eight boards for USC, which shot 38.5% from the field but committed only nine turnovers. Iriafen never got going on offense but still made an impact with eight rebounds. Center Ayoka Lee, a seventh-year Kansas State player, had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Wildcats finished shooting 41.1% from the field. K-State committed 16 turnovers.

Good JuJu

Watkins was not present, but the Trojans made sure to include their leader somehow. During pregame warmups, USC players wore shirts featuring an image of Watkins’ face. Throughout the game, a vinyl figurine of Watkins sat in front of the USC bench.

“We have her in our thoughts and we’re supporting her from here and (emulating) her competitive nature on the court,” Howell said of Watkins, who watched the game from Southern California.

“She’s supporting us back home, having a watch party and doing everything she can to give us that good juju, you could say.”