IOWA CITY, IA — The No.4 USC Trojans collided with the Iowa Hawkeyes in a primetime matchup, as Iowa upsets the Trojans, 76-69 on Sunday afternoon at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Juju Watkins may not have had her most efficient performance, but she managed to stay composed during a challenging game on the road. She finished with 27 points, making eight field goals. Additionally, Watkins was impressive from the free-throw line, sinking 10 of 11 attempts.
Iowa’s Lucy Olsen was trading baskets with Watkins throughout the game. Olsen scored 28 points, along with four rebounds and four assists. With under two minutes remaining, she drove to the basket, scored while being fouled, and extended the Hawkeyes' lead to 10 points.
On the night Iowa retired Caitlin Clark’s jersey, the Trojans started poorly against a sold-out crowd. Iowa began the game with an 11-1 run, prompting USC to call a timeout after committing four turnovers in the first four minutes. Iowa continued its strong performance after the timeout, scoring seven consecutive points before USC finally made their first field goal of the game with just 26 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Trojans struggled early, missing their first 13 shot attempts until Watkins finally connected with a three-pointer. At that point, Watkins had made only 1 of 6 attempts from the field.
The Trojans had a rough start, going just 1 for 21 from the field midway through the second quarter, which allowed the Hawkeyes to build a 15-point lead. It wasn't until Clarice Akunwafo scored a basket off a pass from Kiki Iriafen with 5:03 remaining in the first half that the Trojans began to make an impact.
USC finished the last five minutes of the half by scoring 19 points and holding Iowa to just 10 points in the second quarter. Although the Trojans started slowly, they fought through a challenging environment where Iowa led by as much as 19 points.
Rayah Marshall returned to the lineup after missing the previous home game. She scored two points, grabbed six rebounds, and recorded two blocks. Kiki Iriafen contributed 13 points and eight rebounds but struggled with ball control, committing six turnovers, which was the highest on the team.
The Trojans bench contributed 13 points, with Avery Howell scoring eight of those through two of three attempts from beyond the arc. Freshman Kennedy Smith added 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
This is the Trojans' second loss of the season, bringing their record to 19-2 and ending their 15-game winning streak. With a few days off before their game against Wisconsin, Coach Lindsay Gottlieb will need to make some adjustments as the team prepares to face UCLA, the number one team in the country, on February 13 at the Galen Center.