WOMENS BASKETBALL
Southern Cal 67, Kansas State 61
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPOKANE, Ore. - Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help Southern California hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The top-seeded Trojans (31-3) were considered title contenders before Watkins tore her right ACL during a second-round victory over Mississippi State. Now they’ll be underdogs in an Elite Eight rematch on Monday with Paige Bueckers and second-seeded UConn.
Avery Howell, another freshman, scored 18 points for USC, which went on a 12-0 run during the third quarter to take a 46-39 lead, matching its biggest advantage of the day.
Kansas State (28-8) kept pushing, though, and tied it at 51-all early in the fourth on a layup by Ayoka Lee. Rayah Marshall responded with two straight buckets for USC.
A layup by Serena Sundell got the Wildcats within 60-59. Smith responded with a pair of free throws, and USC was solid enough at the foul line to close it out.
Sundell scored 22 points and Lee had 12 for the fifth-seeded Wildcats (28-8), who fell short of the program’s second Elite Eight appearance and first since 1982. They beat Kentucky 80-79 in overtime to reach their first Sweet 16 since 2002.
Smith had 11 points in the opening quarter as the Trojans built 19-9 lead.
The Wildcats pulled ahead 19-16 after Sundell’s layup and free throw. USC answered with a pair of 3-pointers from Howell and Malia Samuels.
Sundell hit a jumper and two free throws down the stretch to help Kansas State to a 30-28 advantage at the half.
March 29, 2025