LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins scored 26 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, and Kiki Iriafen had 18 points to lift USC (10-1) to a 88-30 nonconference victory Sunday over Elon (4-5) before 4,818 at Galen Center.
USC and Elon had their tipoff delayed by 30 minutes due to a power outage at Galen Center. Outside of Galen's one-court light, no other lights, outlets, or screens worked. The lights came back at 12:06 p.m., met by cheers from fans and the USC band.
NEWS: Galen Center is without full power. #USC women’s basketball is scheduled to tipoff at 12:00 p.m.
— Jude Ocañas (@judocanas) December 15, 2024
The power in whole building fully went out five minutes ago for a few moments. pic.twitter.com/CWUW9ReT43
When the lights came on, USC women’s basketball gave the fans a show. The Women of Troy manhandled the paint, outrebounding Elon 50-30. USC finished with 48 paint points.
USC's suffocating defense held Elon to a season-worst 21% shooting from the field. The Women of Troy finished 47% from the field.
The Trojans tied a season-low of turnovers with seven. They finished with 18 assists.
At halftime, USC led 40 -12.
Elon had the same amount of points as turnovers (12) at the end of the half. Elon finished with 25 total turnovers. The Trojans capitalized off Elon’s errors, scoring 36 points off turnovers.
Three-point shooting for the Trojans has been a struggle all year. USC shot 19% from beyond the arch. The Trojans are shooting 32% from three-point range this season.
USC must work out their kinks before heading to UConn for a Top-10 showdown next Saturday. The Huskies are shooting 33% from three-point range, with star point guard Paige Bueckers shooting 38%.
Kayleigh Heckel finished with 14 points and 4 steals, and Talia Von Oelhoffen had 10 points.
Hannah Dereje had 10 points along with 7 rebounds, and Raven Preston had 7 points.
Next Up
USC is at UConn on Dec. 21
Elon is at Long Beach State on Dec. 19