After stepping up vs Kansas State, USC freshmen will need to do so again against UConn
After stepping up vs Kansas State, USC freshmen will need to do so again against UConn Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell try to lift USC one more time
After losing superstar Juju Watkins for the season last week, USC women's basketball knew it needed other players to step up if the Trojans still wanted to make a deep tournament run. On Saturday against Kansas State, the Trojans got just that from freshmen Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell.
With Watkins out, the Trojans' freshmen had their coming-of-age moment against the Wildcats. Smith led USC in scoring, putting up 19 points on 50% shooting from the field. Howell, meanwhile, had 18 points and eight rebounds, going four-of-eight from behind the three-point line.
Now, the Trojans will turn their focus to tomorrow night's Elite Eight matchup against UConn. USC knows that if they want to have any chance of knocking off the sport's most successful program of all-time, they will once again need their freshmen to step up.
"They're winners above everything else," head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said of her freshmen following Saturday's victory. "We've been stepping up all season in different ways, so I think we were really ready for the moment today."
Taking down UConn without Watkins will be a massive challenge. But if Saturday showed up anything, it is that Smith and Howell will be ready for the moment.
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