Over the Spring, No. 3 USC added two of women’s college basketball prominent stars — Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen and Oregon State guard Talia Von Oelhoffen — to make the plays in the biggest moments. In Iriafen’s first game as a Trojan, she answered the call versus the Ole Miss.
Kiki Iriafen knocked down two free throws with 9.7 seconds left to seal a USC 68-66 nonconference victory over No. 20 Ole Miss at Adidas Arena.
"It was gritty, it was a dog fight...I think I just had so much emotion because its first game of my senior year against a great team," Iriafen said. "It was great to get a victory wearing USC."
A steal from Iriafen on the Rebels' inbound pass with 21 seconds to go set up her game-winning free throws. Two made free throws from Von Oelhoffen tied the game at 66 with 21 seconds left. USC made 17 straight free throws to end the game.
OLE MISS TURNS IT OVER. FREE THROWS FOR KIKI IRIAFEN. pic.twitter.com/17pL25Ebsg
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) November 4, 2024
The Trojans (1-0, 0-0) began their season abroad in Paris, France, as part of the Aflac Oui-Play. The clash of USC-Ole Miss (0-1,0-0) marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
At halftime, the Trojans led 37-26. In the fourth, the Rebels went on a 6-0 run to take a 57-56 lead with 5:19 left — their first lead since the 9:18 mark in the second quarter. In the final 2:23 of the game, Iriafen accounted for four of USC’s final eight points.
USC’s JuJu Watkins scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed ten rebounds. Yet, Watkins had nine turnovers, while the Trojans had 26 total. Iriafen finished with 22 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Rebels’ KK Deans scored a team-high 19 points and had three assists. Dean fouled out with nine seconds left.
Next, Cal Poly is at USC on Nov. 9. AR-Pine Bluff is at Ole Miss on Nov.10.