Tag: Kiki Iriafen

USC women’s basketball gets huge games from JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen

JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen combined to score 64 points between them. The entire Saint Louis team scored 65. Yes, it was a good day for the Trojans.

The USC women’s basketball team has a lot to prove right now, given how poorly it played against Notre Dame and Ole Miss. The two elite defensive teams USC has faced both gummed up the Trojans’ offense. It has to be said that winning 104-65 over Saint Louis on Friday doesn’t somehow indicate the Trojans have fixed their problems. Saint Louis is a sub-.500 team. USC is going to hammer bad teams. The true test for the Trojans, JuJu Watkins, and Kiki Iriafen is how they perform against the next really good defensive opponent they face. Until then, it’s not worth saying how improved or restored this team is.

However, these games against lesser opponents are valuable because they offer the opportunity to establish rhythm, continuity, and flow on offense. These players need to learn how to play together. Each game is a chance to build a stronger connection on the court and develop a natural understanding of how to work together. It wasn’t all going to happen at once. It wasn’t going to just click into an easy coexistence. This stuff is hard, and it takes real work.

Friday, we saw signs that maybe USC’s stars are beginning to get the hang of this thing.

JuJu Watkins scored 34 points and Kiki Iriafen scored 30. Notably, both players shot over 50 percent from the field. JuJu was 12 of 22, Kiki 9 of 16 with 12 of 12 makes at the free throw line. That’s the efficiency USC and Lindsay Gottlieb need to see from their best players. Iriafen, if she becomes a consistent force, will open up the court for JuJu Watkins. Then USC becomes a massively better team.

Gottlieb was once again able to give bench players extended minutes. Three players came off the bench to play at least 12 minutes, and seven bench players entered the game, enabling USC to play 12 players. Everyone needs work. Everyone needs to learn.

The win over Saint Louis advanced those pursuits for USC women’s basketball. It was a good day for the Trojans.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Notre Dame women’s basketball gets biggest win of young season vs. USC

This was a monster win for the Irish.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Everyone wanted to see the Notre Dame and USC women’s basketball teams play each other. The biggest reason was to see [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and JuJu Watkins go up against each other.

We got the first of what will be at least two meetings between the teams Saturday in Los Angeles, and the Irish emerged victorious over the Trojans, 74-61. With both teams expected to be national championship contenders, this was the biggest win of the season so far.

The Irish (5-0) never trailed against the Trojans (4-1), who only tied the game twice and not at all after the 4:07 mark of the first quarter. That was the result of the Irish beating the Trojans with superior defense and a high-paced offense that took far more advantage of its opportunities. Their 17-9 steals advantage contributed mightily to their 20-8 advantage in fast break points.

The Irish’s biggest lead was at 21, and the Trojans scored eight straight points at the end to make the final score closer.

Hidalgo scored 16 of her 24 points in the first half. She also had a game-high five steals, but [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] made up for missing the Irish’s last game by collecting four of her own steals as well as a game-high 11 rebounds.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] collected 14 of her 20 points in the second half. That included hitting a career-high four 3-pointers for the third time in her collegiate career and the second straight game in which she reached that mark.

Watkins also scored 24 points, 19 of which came in the second half. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Talia von Oelhoffen, who helped Oregon State eliminate the Irish in last season’s NCAA Tournament, added 10 points.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame, USC to be featured throughout NBC tripleheader Nov. 23

Don’t make any plans for that day.

Notre Dame and USC make up an intersectional rivalry unlike any other in the country. One upcoming Saturday will showcase both schools on national TV perhaps like never before.

NBC Sports has a longtime association with Irish football, and USC now is part of a Big Ten which has its games broadcast by the same company. And the stars are aligning for one heck of day.

NBC will kick off a tripleheader of coverage involving both schools with the Irish and Trojans women’s basketball teams meeting in Los Angeles at 4 p.m. EST. All eyes will be on that to see whether [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] get the best of JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. Both duos are incredibly dangerous.

Next will be the Irish football team’s annual Shamrock Series game with Army at Yankee Stadium. Wrapping up the day’s coverage will be the Trojans football team facing UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Both games will be the teams’ last before playing each other at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the following week.

Clear your schedule for Nov. 23, Irish fans. It will be the right day to do so.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Kiki Iriafen shows why she is the key piece to the puzzle for USC

Kiki Iriafen does things USC wasn’t able to do last season. She offers so much needed versatility to the Trojans.

The USC women’s basketball team has JuJu Watkins as a returning superstar player this season. Rayah Marshall is back to provide defense, rebounding, and rim protection. The Trojans have the top-ranked freshman class this year. They have a lot of key pieces that go into creating a great team. The piece which might matter the most, however, is Kiki Iriafen. If you watched USC barely beat Ole Miss on Monday, you were instantly able to appreciate why Iriafen means so much to this Trojan roster.

USC had JuJu, Rayah, and some tough defenders who could shoot 3-pointers last season. It did not have a player like Iriafen. What do we mean?

USC had spot-up shooters who couldn’t create with the dribble. JuJu was the only player who could create consistently on the dribble drive to the basket. This made USC easier to guard. Iriafen can create with the dribble. She is agile near the basket but has the size to finish over a smaller defender. She can shoot over defenders. She is an agile player who can make plays on the perimeter, in the mid-range area, and at the rim from a forward position. JuJu gave USC elite versatility in the backcourt. Iriafen offers similar versatility in the frontcourt. The Trojans did not have a player like that last season. Iriafen will be able to pick up the slack if JuJu struggles. Crucially, Iriafen can get to the rim if JuJu struggles. There wasn’t a USC player who could regularly do that on last season’s roster.

Iriafen’s 22 points came without one 3-point make against Ole Miss. She was operating 15 feet from the basket or closer. She can draw fouls and get to the line in crunch time, as she showed against Ole Miss. USC doesn’t win this game without Iriafen. This is why the Trojans have so much more upside than they did last season.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Three Notre Dame players among ESPN’s top 25 in women’s basketball

The Irish have serious talent. No doubt about it.

Notre Dame is expected to contend for a national championship this season. That’s not by accident. There are many talented players on the Irish, and at least one prominent sports media outlet recognizes that, not that others don’t.

ESPN has released its preseason list of the top 25 players in women’s basketball. The Irish were one of seven teams to have more than one player on the list. In all, three Irish players were afforded the honor.

Unsurprisingly, [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] ranks the highest among her teammates at third. Even without having played last season, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] still made the list, clocking in at 13th. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] is right behind her at 14th.

To make things even more exciting, the Irish will face every player this season who is ranked alongside Hidalgo in the top five of this list. Those players are JuJu Watkins, the top-ranked player, alongside USC teammate Kiki Iriafen, Paige Bueckers of UConn and Madison Booker of Texas, which also clocked Rori Harmon in at ninth.

There indeed are some fun times in store for the Irish this season.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo named preseason AP All-American

The Irish truly have one of the best players in the country.

Anyone following women’s basketball knows about Notre Dame sophomore guard [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. She tore up the landscape as a freshman and even was named a finalist for national player of the year. She is the primary reason the Irish are expected to contend for the Final Four this season, though a returning [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] isn’t far behind.

The Associated Press realizes how special Hidalgo is and has named her to its preseason All-American Team. She is part of the first trio of sophomores to be named to this team alongside JuJu Watkins of USC and Madison Booker of Texas. Paige Bueckers of UConn and Watkins teammate Kiki Iriafen round out the team.

Hidalgo already has been named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year for this season. She led the country with 4.6 steals a game last season and was sixth nationally with 22.6 points a game. It would be shocking for her not to build upon that this season:

Congratulations to all five players who were selected for this honor.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Kiki Iriafen gives positive offseason update for USC women’s basketball

Kiki Iriafen loves what she sees. USC fans will love hearing that.

Kiki Iriafen is one of the central reasons USC will enter the 2024-2025 women’s college basketball season as a Final Four contender. The transfer from Stanford is a proven two-way player with a well-rounded set of skills and an elite competitive mindset. Iriafen’s ability to defend, rebound, score, and perform well in crunch time will benefit USC in a lot of obvious ways. When Iriafen’s quality is combined with JuJu Watkins, Talia von Oelhoffen, Rayah Marshall, and a No. 1-ranked recruiting class, it becomes even more apparent that USC will have so many resources to call upon this coming season. USC will be able to win with its backcourt and its frontcourt, on offense and defense, with power and skill. Iriafen’s versatility will make it hard for opponents to stop her, but even if they try, the other weapons on this USC team will get plenty of great opportunities to affect the outcome of a game.

Iriafen recently gave an update of her offseason and the USC women’s basketball team’s offseason. Iriafen talked about the chemistry this group has already established and how she is ready to contribute to the team. Iriafen will be able to do so in many different ways. The balance of this team will make the Trojans so difficult to deal with for their opponents:

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

Lindsay Gottlieb welcomes Kiki Iriafen to USC

Lindsay Gottlieb referenced Iriafen’s homecoming to Los Angeles when talking about the superstar forward.

USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb pulled off the biggest score in the transfer portal this offseason by landing Stanford superstar Kiki Iriafen, who grew up in Southern California and now comes home to Los Angeles to play for the Trojans. Gottlieb commented on Iriafen, her arrival, and what it means for USC. Gottlieb referenced Iriafen’s homecoming in her remarks, just one of many reasons this move has everyone at USC excited for the coming season.

“Kiki is a next-level talent,” Gottlieb began. “An established star in women’s college basketball already, she comes to USC looking to help us win at the highest level and to continue to expand her capabilities. She’s a dynamic scorer and rebounder who will flourish in our style and with those around her. She is a magnetic personality who gets to come home and be special. The Galen Center crowd will want to have a front-row seat to support her in doing that.”

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.