USC forward Kiki Iriafen delivered when it mattered most after JuJu Watkins’ devastating knee injury.
The 6-foot-3 senior, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, scored a career-high 36 points on 16-for-22 shooting in the Trojans’ 96-59 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs Monday in the second round of the 2025 Women’s NCAA tournament.
Iriafen — who is in her first season at USC as a graduate transfer from Stanford — added nine rebounds and two assists in Watkins’ absence after the USC superstar suffered a torn ACL in her right knee just five minutes into game at Galen Center, where the Trojans punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 for a second straight season.
Watkins, 19, will undergo season-ending surgery and then begin rehabilitation, the team announced.
Watkins drove to the basket on a fast break and was fouled between two Bulldogs defenders when she fell to the floor grabbing her knee in pain.
The sophomore forward, who’s averaging 24.6 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks, was carried off the court and did not return to bench.
“We didn’t want to let her down,” Iriafen told ESPN. “We just want to keep dancing, so whatever it takes is what I wanted to do. I think it just shows our toughness.”
Watkins played a crucial role in USC’s 30-3 mark as they earned one of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Now the spotlight will shift to Iriafen as USC faces Kansas State on Saturday in the Sweet 16 with a potential showdown with UConn looming in the Elite Eight.
The Trojans suffered an 80-73 loss in the Elite Eight to the Huskies last year.
Iriafen is averaging 18.6 points on 50.6 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in her first season with USC.
She appeared in and started all 36 games for Stanford in the 2023-24 season and averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game — en route to being named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.
Iriafen was named the 2024 Katrina McClain Award winner as the best power forward in the nation.