USC Trojans Women's Basketball Beats Indiana: Big Ten Tournament Schedule

The USC Trojans defeated the Indiana Hoosiers in their first ever Big Ten tournament game. The Trojans won 84-79 in a competitive matchup. JuJu Watkins and the Trojans will move on to the semifinals on March 8.

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) talks to USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottliebduring an NCAA basketball game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The No. 1 seeded USC Trojans women’s basketball team the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers in their first ever Big Ten tournament game. It was a close matchup, but the Women of Troy won, 84-79.

The Trojans struggled with shooting in the beginning, and the Indiana Hoosiers kept it close. USC star guard, JuJu Watkins, scored 31 points against Indiana, making it her seventh game this season where she surpassed 30 points. USC forward Kiki Iriafen stepped up in the second half despite fouling out, scoring 21 points.

It was a back-and-forth game, but USC walked out with the win. The Trojans will next face the winner of Michigan and Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals. The game will take place on Saturday, March 8, at 12 p.m. PT.

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Fourth Quarter

End of fourth quarter: USC Trojans remain in the lead as Indiana continues to foul and use their timeouts to keep time on the clock. The USC Trojans won the game, 84-79.

:52.8: Iriafen fouls out of the game with just under a minute to go. Indiana utilizes fouling to prevent USC from draining the clock. The USC Trojans lead the game, 79-73.

2:01: USC guard Talia von Oelhoffen makes a clutch three-point shot to break Indiana’s momentum. Watkins officially reached 30 points for the seventh time this season. The USC Trojans lead the game, 77-70.

4:17: Both teams have to be careful with fouling. USC’s Iriafen is up to four fouls, and Indiana guard Sydney Parrish fouled out. Indiana guard Yarden Garzon surpassed 20 points. Watkins was slow to get up after a missed shot but remained in the game. USC Trojans lead the game 71-66.

Third Quarter

End of Third Quarter: The USC Trojans go on a crucial 10-2 scoring run, connecting on offense. Iriafen reached 16 points, half of which came in the third quarter. Indiana’s Meister returned to the game after leaving with an ankle injury. The USC Trojans lead the game, 59-57.

4:50: Watkins is the first to score in the second half with two points. Indiana took the lead with multiple free throws and an 8-0 scoring run early in the quarter. Indiana guard Shay Ciezki reaches double-digit points with her third quarter showing. Indiana Lilly Meister is down with an apparent ankle injury. The USC Trojans lead the game, 48-46.

Second Quarter

End of Second Quarter: The USC Trojans continue to struggle with three-point attempts. USC missed seven straight shots, going about five minutes without a field goal. Howell snaps the streak, scoring three points for the Trojans. The Indiana Hoosiers are finding success with turnovers. The USC Trojans lead at half 38-34.

4:43: Howell forces a turnover for USC, but the Hoosiers take the ball right back. Wakins is given her first set of free throws and makes both. Indiana picks up the pace, taking advantage of their defensive rebounds. USC has missed six of seven three-point attempts. The USC Trojans lead the game, 29-23.

First Quarter

End of the First Quarter: The USC Trojans grab the lead with strong defensive play and begin connecting on offense. The Hoosiers are playing physical, not allowing the Trojans to pull too far ahead. JuJu Watkins ends the first quarter with eight points. USC Trojans lead the game, 23-18.

3:36: The Hoosiers are the first on the board with guard Sydney Parrish giving her team two points. USC forward Kiki Iriafen is the first Trojan on the board after being fouled. USC is doing well with their offensive rebounds but struggling to capitalize on them. Indiana leads 14-11.

Roster Update: Guard Avery Howell received her first start with guard Rayah Marshall ruled out of the game with an Illness.

Pregame

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are 13.5-point favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook against the Indiana Hoosiers The money line for USC is -1800, and the total points are 138.5. 

Preview:

The Women of Troy last played on March 1, when the Trojans defeated the UCLA Bruins, 80-67, to win the Big Ten. The Trojans will now participate in the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, their first appearance in the conference tournament.

After the win against UCLA, Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke to the media about what the win means. Gottlieb, who was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. highlighted how much the Women of Troy have come together throughout the season.

“We really have become a team. You know, I know a lot of people were down on us when we lost a tough game to Notre Dame, and I’m so proud of how a group just sort of didn’t listen to the scrutiny and decided to look inward and get better,” Gottlieb said after the win.

The USC Trojans ended the regular season with a 26-2 record, 17-1 in Big Ten conference play. It has been a thrilling season for USC, who has averaged 81.9 points this season. USC’s leading scorer was star guard JuJu Watkins, who averaged 24.4. Not far behind her was forward Kiki Iriafen who averaged 18.1 points per game.

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Watkins, the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, also led the team, averaging 2.1 steals and 3.6 assists. USC center Rayah Marshall led the team, averaging 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. 

The Trojans will now take on the Indiana Hoosiers, who are entering their second game of the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers are coming off of a 78-62 win against the Oregon Ducks. 

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen (44) blocks a shot by Michigan State Spartans guard Julia Ayrault (40) in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Against Oregon, the Hoosiers had four players score in the double digits. Indiana guard Yarden Garzon led with 18 points, and guard Shay Ciezki was right behind her with 17 points. Guard Chloe Moore-McNeil scored 13 points and led the team with five assists. Indiana is averaging 70.0 points per game.

The last time these two teams faced off was on Jan. 19, with the USC Trojans getting the 73-66 win. Watkins put up 22 points, while Marshall had 10 rebounds and 13 points. The Trojans will need to step up defensively and prevent Indiana from putting up the points the way that they did against Oregon.

The USC Trojans have had a couple of days off to get their minds and bodies prepared for the tournament. The winner of the matchup will move on to face the winner of Michigan vs. Maryland.

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
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