MADISON, Wis. — Kiki Iriafen led a well-rounded performance for No. 7 Southern California, scoring 15 points in an 86-64 triumph over Wisconsin on Wednesday night. This victory helped USC recover from their recent loss, during which they never found themselves trailing in this matchup.

With this win, USC improved their record to 20-2 and 10-1 in the Big Ten, concluding a two-game series following a 15-game winning streak that was snapped with a loss to Iowa last Sunday.

On the other hand, Wisconsin dropped to 11-12 and 2-10 in the conference with their tenth loss in eleven games, marking their first time falling below the .500 mark this season.

JuJu Watkins, who has been a standout this season, averaging 24.7 points—ranking her third in Division I—managed to score only 14 points in 26 minutes against Wisconsin. Supporting players for USC included Avery Howell with 14 points, Talia von Oelhoffen netting 11, and Kayleigh Heckel contributing 10 points.

For Wisconsin, Serah Williams was the leading scorer, finishing with 19 points, while teammates Carter McCray and Tess Myers each added 12 points to the effort.

Watkins initiated the scoring with the first basket of the game but struggled to find her rhythm, going scoreless for over 18 minutes. However, she managed to contribute five points in a late second-quarter surge, which resulted in USC holding a 39-28 lead going into halftime.

USC maintained control throughout the remainder of the game, ensuring that the result was never in doubt.

Highlights from the Game
USC displayed an impressive shooting performance, rebounding from a season-low 35.4% against Iowa to finish the night with a shooting rate of 50.7%.

For Wisconsin, Williams, who ranks as the third-highest scorer in the Big Ten behind Watkins and UCLA’s Lauren Betts, fought hard to keep her team competitive. After a slow start of shooting 0 for 7 in the first minutes, she recovered to score 8 out of 13 attempts for the rest of the game.

Critical Moment
Wisconsin found themselves in an early deficit of 13-3 within the first seven minutes. They managed to come within three points at 23-20, but a missed 3-pointer by Ronnie Porter stifled their momentum as the clock ticked down in the second quarter, and that would be as close as they would get.

Statistic of Note
USC’s bench players significantly impacted the game, outscoring Wisconsin’s bench by a remarkable 33-8 margin.

Looking ahead, USC will face off against No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday, while Wisconsin is set to host Illinois on Sunday.