Except for JuJu Watkins, USC’s players were struggling to find their shot.
A 10-point USC lead turned into a deficit during the third quarter. With Kiki Iriafen stuck on the bench in foul trouble, the Trojans needed someone to spark a rally.
Enter the all-too-reliable Rayah Marshall, the longest-tenured starter on the team.
She isn’t the flashiest player and she’ll rarely be the leading scorer with Watkins on the floor, but when USC needed a bruising option to force into the paint for second-chance looks, the senior got the job done against Michigan on Sunday night.
Stripping the ball from Michigan guard Jordan Hobbs with 5:05 remaining in the third quarter, the 6-foot-4 forward forced a shot up while barreling toward the basket. She got smacked, but the ball went in. The converted three-point play was one of many Marshall made on her way to tying a season-high with 15 points in No. 4 USC’s 78-58 victory over No. 23 Michigan at Galen Center.
Marshall’s seven third-quarter points and two assists drove the Trojans (12-1, 2-0) to a 10-point lead, helping facilitate for Watkins, who led the game with 31 points (including 13 on free throws). Iriafen scored 12 of her 18 points in a dominating fourth-quarter effort before fouling out with under two minutes left.
Michigan was without star freshman and leading scorer Syla Swords because of injury. The Trojans guards held the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer, freshman Olivia Olson, scoreless in the first half and to just 11 points. Hobbs led her team in scoring, with 14 of her 19 points coming in the Wolverines’ second-quarter surge.
USC held Michigan (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) to its lowest scoring total of the season, with the Wolverines averaging 83.7 points a game entering the contest.
USC finishes its homestand with a New Year’s Day contest against Nebraska. No. 1 UCLA handily defeated the Cornhuskers 91-54 on Sunday.
