No. 4 USC Trojans earn another ranked win with 83-75 victory over No. 22 Michigan State

The No. 4 USC Trojans won their 10th straight game at home with an 83-75 victory over No. 22 Michigan State on Wednesday night.

Thanks in large part to big nights from JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, USC ran out to a 24-16 lead after one quarter and held a 21-point lead deep in the third quarter. It likely wasn’t the finish head coach Lindsay Gottlieb wanted as the Spartans cut that Trojan lead all the way to six, at 74-68 with 4:01 to play. But two buckets apiece from Watkins and freshman Kennedy Smith were enough to keep USC out in front and prevent things from getting tighter.

Watkins finished with 28 points to go along with eight rebounds, three blocks, three steals and three assists. Iriafen finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, along with three blocks and three steals.

It was a sloppy game on the offensive end for both teams. The Trojans committed 23 turnovers, including six by Iriafen and five by Watkins. That, coming after they had just nine each in wins over No. 1 UCLA and Washington. Michigan State recorded 14 steals as a team and seven of them came in the fourth quarter as USC couldn’t put the game away for good.

The Spartans connected on just 1 of 13 three-pointers, though Oregon transfer Grace VanSlooten scored a game-high 29 points.

With the win, USC moves to 14-1 in Big Ten conference play and 7-1 against ranked opponents. The Trojans will have a shot at wins No. 8 and 9 against ranked opponents in their final two regular-season games. USC hosts No. 25 Illinois on Sunday, February 23 at 1 pm at Galen Center. The Trojans conclude their regular season the following weekend with a 6 pm tip-off against No. 3 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, March 1.

Also with this win, USC guaranteed itself a double bye in the Big Ten conference tournament.

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