JuJu Watkins, Kiki Iriafen accomplish stunning feat not seen at USC since 2000

Watkins and Iriafen lead the way!

Notre Dame v USC
Notre Dame v USC | Jayne Kamin-Oncea/GettyImages

JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen led USC women's basketball to a 104-65 win over St. Louis on Friday. Watkins scored 34 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists and three steals while Iriafen added 30 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and three steals. According to espnW, Watkins and Iriafen became the first USC duo to both score 30 points in a game since 2000.

Watkins is arguably the biggest star in women's college basketball at the moment. She is extremely popular. Additionally, Watkins is playing at a high level. Iriafen has also enjoyed a strong year, playing a pivotal role in USC's 6-1 start to the 2024 campaign.

Iriafen is in her first season with USC. She previously played for Stanford before transferring ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. She was averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds heading into Friday's game. There is no question that she has been impactful.

Watkins, meanwhile, is in her second season at the college basketball level. She established herself as a star in her freshman season, averaging 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing. Watkins has continued to play well in her second season at USC. She entered the game on Friday with averages of 27.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per outing.

USC was ranked No. 6 overall heading into Friday's game. They were previously ranked higher, but a loss against Notre Dame last Saturday knocked them down in the rankings. Notre Dame, however, was upset by TCU on Friday.

In other words, anything can happen throughout the college basketball season. USC still features potential to make serious noise this season, and they will look to build off the momentum of Friday's convincing win.

USC women's basketball looking to build momentum

USC has now won back-to-back games following their loss against Notre Dame. They are beginning to trend in a promising direction once again.

The USC women's basketball team will play Cal Baptist on Tuesday before going head-to-head with No. 21 Oregon next Saturday. They are on the verge of completely recapturing their momentum. A three or four-game winning streak would certainly help in that regard.

With JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen leading the way, USC will remain confident as the season moves forward. The future is bright for this USC team.