USC forward Kiki Iliafen was delivered at the most important moment after Juju Watkins' catastrophic knee injury.
The 6-foot-3 senior, who is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, scored a career-high 36 points on a 16-22 shot in the Trojans' 96-59 victory in a 96-59 victory with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament.
Iriafen, who is in his first season at USC as an alumnus from Stanford, added nine rebounds and two assists in Watkins' absence after USC Superstar struggled with the Torn ACL in just five minutes of a game at Galen Center.
Watkins, 19, will begin rehabilitation after undergoing season-ending surgery. The team announced.
Watkins drove into the basket on a fast break, fouled between two bulldog defenders, then fell to the floor and grabbed her knee in pain.
The sophomore forward, averaging 24.6 points, 7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steel and 1.8 block, was carried off the court and did not return to the bench.
“We didn't want to disappoint her.” Iriafen told ESPN. “We just want to keep dancing, so what we need to do is what I want to do. I think it just shows our toughness.”
Watkins played a key role in the USC 30-3 mark and won one of the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
The spotlight will move to Iliafen as USC faces Kansas at Sweet 16 on Saturday.
The Trojans suffered an 80-73 loss in the Elite 8 last year.
Iriafen averages 18.6 points in his first season at USC with 50.6% shooting, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
She appeared in all 36 Stanford games from 2023-24, averaging 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.
Iriafen was named the recipient of the 2024 Katrina McClain Award.
