Gophers Fall to No. 4 USC, Miss Chance to Regain Top-25 Ranking

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball team missed an opportunity to reclaim a top-25 ranking after a 69-82 loss to No. 4 University of Southern California (USC) on Thursday, February 1, 2025. The defeat dropped the Gophers to 18-4 on the season, despite a strong start that marked their best in program history.

Minnesota, which briefly held the No. 23 spot in the AP Top-25 rankings earlier this season, struggled to contain USC’s offensive firepower. The Trojans’ sophomore guard JuJu Watkins scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half, while forward Kiki Iriafen dominated with 23 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 81.8% in the paint.

“We showed some toughness and resiliency, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end,” said Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “We learned through that experience that we’ve got to probably start a lot better.”

The Gophers entered the second quarter with a 10-point deficit, plagued by early turnovers and missed opportunities at the rim. Plitzuweit acknowledged the challenge of facing USC’s versatile offense. “They are loaded with offensive firepower in a lot of different ways,” she said. “We felt different players stepping up and hitting arc shots, and that made it really, really tough for us.”

Senior center Sophie Hart led the Gophers with 18 points and five offensive rebounds, one of three Minnesota players to reach double figures. Hart emphasized the team’s resilience, particularly in the fourth quarter, where they held USC to a 7-0 run in the first two minutes and forced two turnovers.

“I don’t know if two years ago, we would have had that same kind of dog in us to battle back like that,” Hart said. “That speaks a lot about our team.”

Despite their efforts, the Gophers couldn’t sustain momentum against Watkins, who recorded her fourth double-double of the season. The loss comes after Minnesota fell out of the rankings following a 65-70 defeat to No. 24 Michigan last week.

The Gophers remain in California for their next game against No. 1 UCLA on Sunday, February 4, 2025.