JuJu Watkins struggles but USC women’s basketball beats Minnesota

In the waning moments of her worst half at USC, JuJu Watkins put her head down and drove to her left with all she had, leaning into contact, then leaping back and letting a daring jumper fly. Nine times she’d missed — from the lane, from midrange, from the corner — without a single bucket.

This was the same Trojans star who’d scored fewer than 20 points just twice this season. But as silky smooth as the sequence looked — and as strange as a slump from Watkins seemed — the step-back clanked away. The buzzer rang on an uncharacteristic 0-for-10 half for one of college basketball’s brightest stars.

Watkins looked up to the scoreboard, frustrated, as if to demand an answer.

Fortunately for USC, it found the answers it needed Thursday, even with Watkins at her worst. A star turn from Trojans forward Kiki Iriafen, along with timely contributions from its fleet of freshmen, was plenty to put away Minnesota 82-69, giving USC a 15th straight victory.

But this win — its first at home in 18 days — didn’t come as smoothly as the others. And for Watkins especially, every step seemed like a struggle.

Her touch was off. Her drives to the hoop were thwarted. Open shots refused to fall. Watkins fought through the slump in the second half, hitting six of 12 from the field. But her 29% shooting ranked among her least efficient in two seasons at USC (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten). She still managed to score 20, actually exceeding her point total from USC’s previous win over Purdue.

With Watkins struggling, Iriafen stepped into a starring role. After bumping a knee and missing the second half against Purdue last weekend, Iriafen shined from the start.

The forward had been reluctant to let it fly from three-point range, having made only two threes in her previous 19 games. But coach Lindsay Gottlieb insisted this week that she trust her stroke and test out the perimeter. So Iriafen fired deep early on, sinking one three-pointer, then another on the next possession, adding a whole new dimension to an already devastating offense. She finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The three-pointers were flying, with the Trojans hitting 11 of 27. USC led from start to finish as a result, with Avery Howell adding 12 points and Kennedy Smith nine.

Still, Minnesota (18-4, 6-4) hung around until midway through the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to six points with less than eight minutes remaining. But then Howell sunk a three, and on the next possession, Watkins drove toward the hoop.

As she lifted off, Watkins was fouled. This time she made the shot, and the Trojans walked away with another win, even on a night when their superstar struggled.