USC shakes off JuJu Watkins' absence and beats Kansas State 67-61 in March Madness
Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The top-seeded Trojans (31-3) were considered title contenders before Watkins tore her right ACL during a second-round victory over Mississippi State. Now they'll be underdogs in an Elite Eight rematch on Monday with Paige Bueckers and second-seeded UConn. The Huskies knocked the Trojans out of last year's March Madness in Watkins' first season.
Avery Howell, another freshman, scored 18 points for USC, which went on a 12-0 run during the third quarter to take a 46-39 lead, matching its biggest advantage of the day.
Kansas State (28-8) kept pushing, though, and tied it at 51-all early in the fourth on a layup by Ayoka Lee. Rayah Marshall responded with two straight buckets for USC.
A layup by Serena Sundell got the Wildcats within 60-59. Smith responded with a pair of free throws, and USC was solid enough at the foul line to close it out.
Sundell scored 22 points and Lee had 12 for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (28-8), who fell short of the program's second Elite Eight appearance and first since 1982. They beat Kentucky 80-79 in overtime to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2002.
Smith had 11 points in the opening quarter as the Trojans built 19-9 lead.
The Wildcats pulled ahead 19-16 after Sundell's layup and free throw. USC answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Howell and Malia Samuels.
Sundell hit a jumper and two free throws down the stretch to help Kansas State to a 30-28 advantage at the half.
USC arrived at Spokane Arena wearing Nike T-shirts emblazoned with Watkins' face.
Players passed around a small Watkins bobblehead, complete with her trademark "JuJu Bun" hairstyle, on the sidelines during the game.
A day earlier, coach Lindsay Gottlieb said her team was playing for its inured star: "I think the prevailing feeling is that we can still do something together, and that's what JuJu wants us to do."
Watkins was hoping to lead USC to its first national title since it won back to back in 2002 and '03.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
LSU baseball's Steven Milam talks West Virginia win: 'I love the big moment'
LSU baseball's Steven Milam talks West Virginia win: 'I love the big moment' Steven Milam put LSU baseball on his back during the Baton Rouge Super Regional against West Virginia. Saturday and Sunday against the Mountaineers, the sophomore infielder made his plate appearances count. With a mix of power and patience at the plate, Milam finished the series with eight RBI and credits "getting back to the basics" for his success. "I love the big moment," Milam said. "I didn't play or help my team as much as I wanted to during the year and I had to step up to take pressure off the other guys. I feel like I've been able to do that." Milam put the Tigers up big with a grand slam in Saturday's fifth inning then stroked two doubles on Sunday. He finished with two walks in each game, bringing his on-base percentage to .395 for the year. "He went out there and competed his tail off and really did a good job," LSU first baseman Jared Jones said. "He was just himself this weekend and he did a great job for us and go the momentum in our dugout." The Tigers only hope Milam's success continues now that they claimed a berth in the College World Series and learned they will open against No. 3 seed Arkansas. "Our whole team is running great at bats one through nine," Milam said. "You can punch in 15 different guys, and we're going to beat you," Milam said. This wasn't Milam's first time appearing in a big moment. In the 2024 SEC Tournament, Milam delivered a big home run that was instrumental in LSU securing an NCAA Tournament appearance. "This is why you come to LSU."
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SEC Powerhouse Lands 7-Foot-1 International Prospect
International players have made names for themselves in the NBA over the past few seasons, with most of the top players being from outside of the United States. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo all from outside of the country are some of the best players in the league, with Jokic and Antetokounmpo both winning league MVP in the past, and all but Doncic are in the running for MVP this year. Advertisement International players are making the rise in college basketball, and the Texas Longhorns are the latest team to make an international addition. Under new head coach Sean Miller, they landed a 7-foot-1 British center Lewis Obiorah to be a developmental piece on his roster. Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Hanisch-Imagn Images At just 19-years old, he will have some time to really develop into a solid center for the Longhorns, and can provide good minutes when needed. His potential exceeds just his height, as it is combined with a 7-foot-5 wingspan can be a true force in the front court in a difficult SEC conference. In his past season overseas, he averaged 10.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game, and looks to bring that skillset to the NCAA. Advertisement Obiorah joins a solid 2025 recruiting class with one incoming four-star freshman and five four-star transfers, as they look to improve on a First Four exit in the NCAA Tournament last season. This next season for Texas will be one to watch, as they will have to find replacements for Tre Johnson's scoring as he will likely be a top five-top ten pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. Related: Quinn Ewers Gets First Look at Official Dolphins Jersey Related: Texas Receives Huge Recruitment Update on 4-Star Safety
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Alabama picks up transfer portal commitment from in-state foe
Alabama picks up transfer portal commitment from in-state foe Alabama baseball picked up its fourth offseason commitment from the transfer portal on Monday. Former South Alabama infielder Brennan Holt, who spent a year at LSU and a year at Oklahoma State, announced his decision to transfer to the Crimson Tide in a post to social media. Holt joins pitchers Matthew Tippie (Texas State) and Kaden Humphrey (North Florida) and infielder Justin Osterhouse (Purdue-Fort Wayne) as players Alabama has added via the portal since its season ended with a 6-5 loss to Southern Miss at the Hattiesburg Regional of the NCAA Tournament on May 31. A product of Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge, Holt spent the past two seasons at South Alabama after committing to LSU in 2020. He was rated the No. 5 overall recruit in Louisiana by Perfect Game coming out of high school. Holt spent one season with the Tigers in 2022 and appeared in five games before obtaining a medical redshirt due to injury and transferring to Oklahoma State for his sophomore season in 2023. He played in 34 games for the Cowboys and batted .173 (11-for-52). As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, Holt started all 56 games for South Alabama and batted .266 with three home runs, 15 doubles and 24 RBIs. His average rose to .303 as a junior this past season, clubbing six home runs to go with 14 doubles. Holt primarily played second base and was the Jags' leadoff hitter. He stole 29 bases over two seasons with South Alabama, which finished 23-28 overall in the Sun Belt conference this year. Alabama capped the 2025 season at 41-18 overall and were 16-14 in SEC play during the regular season in coach Rob Vaughn's second year in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide's 40 victories in the regular season marked the first time since 2002 that Alabama had posted 40 or more wins in a regular season. Alabama was the No. 2 seed at the Hattiesburg Regional and was ranked No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll entering the NCAA Tournament. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinions.
