WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Well, that escalated quickly.
Freshman Avery Howell scored a season-high 18 points, JuJu Watkins added 16 points and seven rebounds and the fourth-ranked USC women’s basketball team nearly pitched a second-quarter shutout as it routed Purdue, 79-37, on Wednesday.
The Trojans (18-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) allowed just two points in the second quarter en route to their 14th consecutive win. Half of their conference victories have come by 20 points or more.
Kendall Puryear led Purdue (7-12, 0-8) with 10 points as the Boilermakers lost their seventh straight.
Destini Lombard scored all eight of her points in the first four minutes as the Boilermakers jumped to a surprising 16-10 first-quarter lead.
But the Trojans responded with a 31-0 run that didn’t end until Jordyn Poole beat the shot-clock buzzer with a mid-range jumper at the 1:57 mark in the second quarter. Purdue was scoreless for 8:02, committing eight turnovers during that span. USC led 46-18 at halftime, and Purdue never recovered.
USC starting forward Kiki Iriafen did not return after hurting her ankle in the second quarter. Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said they are hopeful it won’t be anything “too significant.”
The Trojans shot 11 for 30 from 3-point range for the night, while Purdue was 2 for 15 and dropped to 0-9 against ranked teams.
The Boilermakers got off to a better start than they did two weeks ago against top-ranked UCLA, but their young team is not built to stay close against the nation’s top teams.
UP NEXT
The Trojans get a well-deserved break before hosting No. 23 Minnesota on Jan. 30.