LOS ANGELES—Top-seeded Southern California rode a key run into the fourth quarter and pushed past eighth-seeded Kansas 73–55 in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Monday night, March 25, at Galen Center.
The Trojans (28–5) advanced to the Sweet 16, where they will face Baylor in the Portland, Ore., 3 Regional on Saturday. Baylor advanced with a 75–72 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday.
USC freshman All-American JuJu Watkins, who scored a game-high 28 points, put up five straight points late in the third quarter after the Jayhawks had pulled to within one point.
The burst ignited a 16–3 Trojans run that extended deep into the fourth period.
USC outscored Kansas 20–9 in the final quarter to seal the program’s first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1994.
McKenzie Forbes scored the first 18 of her 20 points from 3-point range, sinking 6 of 13 for the night to pace USC to a 13-of-29 team performance from beyond the arc.
The Jayhawks (20–13) shot just 3 of 10 from long distance and 20 of 56 (35.7 percent) from the floor in total. The Trojans made 25 of their 66 field-goal attempts for 37.9 percent.
S'Mya Nichols led Kansas with 22 points. Taiyanna Jackson grabbed 18 rebounds to go with 10 points, three steals, and two blocked shots.
Watkins led USC with 11 rebounds and five assists, though she committed six turnovers.
Rayah Marshall scored nine points and made a game-high four steals. Kayla Padilla scored all nine of her points on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.