PALM DESERT — The USC women’s basketball team got back in the win column.
JuJu Watkins had 20 points, seven rebounds and eight turnovers and the sixth-ranked Trojans defeated Seton Hall, 84-51, in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena, their first game since their first loss of the season.
USC (5-1) had three other players score in double figures, including Kiki Iriafen with 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Avery Howell scored a career-best 14 points off the bench and Rayah Marshall had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Trojans showed they could bounce back after a 74-61 loss to then-No. 3 Notre Dame in a much-anticipated showdown last weekend at the Galen Center, and Watkins’ teammates provided key support in this one.
After a sensational freshman season, Watkins is being targeted by opposing defenses. Her offense has struggled so far this season and she was 7 for 13 from the floor with multiple defenders on her. She picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter.
USC led 27-13 after one quarter and 42-26 at halftime. Seton Hall (4-2) used a 9-0 run to get within 44-35 in the third quarter, but Watkins eventually scored seven straight during a 14-0 surge that gave USC a 60-37 lead in the final minute of the period. The Trojans led by 20 entering the fourth quarter and Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen helped USC outscore Seton Hall 13-3 while extending the margin to 78-49 before coasting across the finish line.
Faith Masonius hit three 3-pointers for Seton Hall, but the Pirates shot just 5 for 23 from long range overall.
Masonius finished with a career-high 25 points, which included banking in a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer.
The Trojans dominated the boards 56-27, including a 22-11 edge on the offensive glass. Their bench outscored the Pirates’ reserves 22-5.
USC stays in the desert to play Saint Louis on Friday at 4 p.m. in another Holiday Invitational game.
