How USC has bounced back since Notre Dame loss

But since that loss, USC has rattled off five consecutive wins including their Big Ten opener against Oregon. They’ve managed to shake off the bitter taste of defeat, and they’ve done so in part due to the uptick in play from a couple of key players on the roster.

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Kiki Iriafen finding space in USC’s system

When the Women of Troy added Kiki Iriafen via the transfer portal, they immediately became a national championship contender.

But to start the 2024-25 season, she didn’t quite look like the player who put up career numbers last season at Stanford. It wasn’t that her numbers weren’t good, it just looked like it was taking her a little while to get adjusted to a new system and new teammates.

Through her first six games at USC, Iriafen registered only one double-double and that was the very first game of the season with the 22 points and 13 rebounds she hung on Mississippi in Paris. Then came the loss to Notre Dame where she only shot 5-for-15 from the field and was unable to make a major impact.

But since then, she’s put up four double-doubles in five games including the 24 points and 12 rebounds she had during USC’s win 89-40 win against Fresno State this week. It was also the first time this season that Iriafen has been the Women of Troy’s leading scorer.

Following the Fresno State game, she spoke about what she attributes to her recent stretch of strong games.

“I think I’m just a lot more comfortable in what our coaches are trying to have us do and what USC is all about. It’s just me settling in a lot more,” Iriafen said. “I think for me, rebounding is the easiest way for me to kind of get on the glass. It’s kind of hard for me to make a move because I’m being double or triple-teamed. So I think just being an offensive rebounder, defensive rebounder, with Rayah [Marshall] as well, is the best way I can help my team right now. And then just let the game come to me.”

Coming into this week, Iriafen had been averaging 18.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. She was shooting 51.7% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 77.8% from the free-throw line.

Even with her early uneven play, she’s still considered one of the top prospects for the 2025 WNBA Draft. And while part of her increased production can be chalked up to simply becoming more comfortable with her teammates, it’s also been a point of emphasis from Gottlieb to get the ball moving and get better shots.

“We’ve worked on it, we’ve talked about it and I think you’re seeing it come together. And a lot of it is we’re learning to make reads,” Gottlieb said. “We have two players in particular, with Kiki and JuJu [Watkins], where there’s always going to be two or three people. And so it’s figuring out how to get them good looks, but also playing off of that. I think when that ball moves and flows, we’re harder to guard.”

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Avery Howell has stepped up off the bench

Another big reason for USC’s recent win streak has been the second-unit production from freshman guard Avery Howell. With seven new freshmen on this year’s team, it was obvious that a few of them were going to be called upon to contribute immediately.

Before Kennedy Smith was sidelined due to injury, she was one of those freshman having earned a starting spot from the get-go. With Smith out of the lineup, another freshman, Kayleigh Heckel, has stepped up into the starting lineup to replace her.

Heckel joining the starters meant that someone else was going to have to step up off the bench. That someone else has been Howell. Since the Notre Dame loss, Howell has averaged 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. She’s shot 44% from the 3-point line. She dropped a season-high 14 points in a big win against Seton Hall immediately following the Notre Dame loss.

But it hasn’t just been the on-court production where Howell has made an impact. She’s amongst the most vocal players on the team which has enabled her to sort of embrace an early leadership-type role. She’s already earned the respect of her older teammates in that way, especially Iriafen.

”Avery is the most talkative, vocal, energetic freshman that you could ever see. I listen to her just as much as I listen to the upperclassmen,” Iriafen said. “She’s someone that’s always been consistent for us. She works very hard, she’s running to the glass even as a guard. I think she’s probably one of our most consistent players.”

For Howell, that type of role is something that she’s always embraced as a player and as a point guard.

“Since I was younger playing basketball, I’ve always just been really loud and outgoing on the court. Leadership was pretty big,” Howell said after the Fresno State win. “Obviously it’s a completely different role being a freshman in a really great program with a lot of great players … I still always try to be loud on the court talking because I don’t really think you can over-communicate. Since I’ve been here I’ve just definitely been super outgoing and talkative.”

When Gottlieb was initially recruiting Howell, it was all the little things, the intangibles that she noticed including her communication skills on the court. She’s seen that manifest in a way that doesn’t always happen for freshmen.

”Talking is an elite skill. You think everyone can do it, but certainly as a freshman it takes awhile. Some of it is being able to understand what’s happening in front of you, teams are better when there’s good communication,” Gottlieb said. “She’s a really good communicator. I knew that she was, I knew that was a characteristic, but the fact that it’s come with her right to college as a freshman is pretty unique.”

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