The No. 6-ranked USC women’s basketball team bounced back from their first loss of the season with a dominant 84-51 win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The win in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational came just days after a 74-61 loss to then-No. 3 Notre Dame, a result that dropped the Trojans from No. 3 to No. 6 in the AP poll.
“A lot of us were excited to just kind of come out and redeem ourselves on the floor,” said Juju Watkins, who led USC with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including two three-pointers (as reported by Shad Powers of the Desert Sun). “I know for me, I was excited to be playing again and put the past behind us.”
USC (5-1) surged ahead in the first quarter behind a stellar performance from freshman reserve Avery Howell, who scored 10 of her career-high 14 points in the closing minutes of the period. Her efforts helped USC extend a 17-11 lead into a 27-13 advantage by the quarter’s end, and the Trojans never looked back.
Watkins added seven rebounds but struggled with turnovers, committing eight against Seton Hall’s (4-2) defense. Despite her offensive challenges early this season, Watkins remains a focal point for opposing defenses, often drawing multiple defenders.
The Trojans dominated the glass, outrebounding the Pirates 56-27, including a 22-11 edge on the offensive boards, per the Associated Press. Senior Rayah Marshall was instrumental in the effort, contributing 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Her all-around performance highlighted her leadership on a team filled with fresh talent.
“Playing under Coach G (Lindsay Gottlieb) for four years and with a lot of new faces this year, I try to be as vocal as possible,” Marshall said. “I’m a general defensively for our team, and our No. 1 goal is to win and hold everyone on our team to that standard.”
Kiki Iriafen added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Seton Hall’s Faith Masonius led all scorers with a career-high 25 points, including a buzzer-beating shot from just beyond half court to end the third quarter.
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USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb praised her team’s focus after the loss to Notre Dame.
“Coming off a loss, we were very focused on being better,” Gottlieb said. “It was a good game to challenge ourselves.”
The Trojans will face Saint Louis in their next game of the tournament on Friday afternoon. Seton Hall will host San Francisco on Monday.