LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen scored 22 points each and No. 4 Southern California defeated 25th-ranked Illinois 76-66 on Sunday to retain sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
The Trojans (25-2, 15-1) needed their eighth win over a ranked team to avoid falling into a tie with No. 3 UCLA, which edged Iowa on the road to stay in second at 14-1.
USC got 12 points and 13 rebounds from Rayah Marshall as the Trojans finished 14-1 at Galen Center after their home finale.
Illinois (21-7, 11-6) was led by Genesis Bryant with 22 points. Kendall Bostic had 18 points and 16 rebounds.
The Illini made a final push in the closing minutes after trailing by 18. They outscored the Trojans 11-2 to close to 72-63. Berry Wallace and Bryant had back-to-back 3-pointers.
Bryant hit another 3 that left Illinois trailing by eight, but Watkins closed the game with four straight free throws.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini erased most of an 11-point deficit in the second quarter when they closed with a 10-3 run to trail 40-36 at halftime. They held the Trojans to 1 of 9 field goals in that span and led by one early in the third before USC took over.
USC: The Trojans are on a six-game winning streak.
Key moment
The Trojans missed their first seven shots of the third while Illinois pulled into a 40-40 tie. From there, they outscored the Illini 17-7 to take a 57-47 lead into the fourth. Marshall scored back-to-back baskets, Watkins had four straight points and Iriafen added five points in the spurt.
Key stat
The Trojans made 16 of 18 free throws, with Watkins hitting all of her 10 attempts. Their defense forced 17 turnovers that led to 21 points for the Trojans.
Up next
Illinois hosts Michigan next Sunday in its final regular-season game. USC visits crosstown rival and third-ranked UCLA on Saturday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
