“I don’t think we played the way we wanted to”: Kiki Iriafen reacts to USC’s close win vs Ole Miss
No. 3 USC forward Kiki Iriafen praised her team's composure after its close 68-66 victory over the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels in their season opener at the Aflac Oui-Play event in Paris on Monday.
The new transfer, who starred with the Stanford Cardinal, Iriafen finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, along with the game-sealing free throws with nine seconds to play.
When asked what it took for the team to grind out a win after the Ole Miss comeback attempt, Iriafen said:
"It was a grind. It wasn't easy at all. I don't think we played the way we wanted to at all. Ole Miss is a great team. I think we just (had) composure.
"I've been in this situation before so I was able to lean on my experience, but I think on the fourth quarter collectively as a team, we kind of just put our heads together and decided: Do we wanna have our first game be a loss or come out with a W? And I think we just put our heads together and did what we needed to do."
The USC Trojans are ranked No. 3 in the nation, but the team's season opener did not look polished.
The Trojans only made 1 of 11 3-pointers, committed 26 turnovers and only outscored the no. 20-ranked Ole Miss Rebels in the second quarter (22-10). Despite holding a 15-point lead at one point, the Trojans nevertheless had to grind a two-point win after converting their last eight free throws.
Kiki Iriafen talks about playing with JuJu Watkins
After a breakout junior campaign with the Stanford Cardinal where she averaged 19.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists, Iriafen entered the NCAA transfer portal to return to her Los Angeles hometown.
She joined forces with superstar JuJu Watkins for her last college season after winning the Katrina McClain Award(as the nation's best power forward) and being named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year.
The dynamic duo combined for 49 of the team's 68 points and 23 of the squad's 48 rebounds. Watkins finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and five blocks, including a 10-for-12 conversion at the charity stripe.
Iriafen said this about her experience playing alongside Watkins for the first time:
"She's great. She's very selfless. I love playing with her. I love the pick-and-roll with her. You kinda have to pick your poison, but she was great. She was great out there for me, you know. Always uplifting me, and I'm trying to do the same for her. But she's a great teammate, and I can't wait to see the rest of the things I will do this season."
The USC duo will be expected to spearhead the team's offensive adjustments and defensive fixes. The Trojans play their next four games at home in the Galen Center on Saturday against Cal Poly, Nov. 12 against CSUN, Nov. 15 against Santa Clara and an NBC-televised game against Notre Dame on Nov. 23.