A steal. A free throw. A 7-point game.

That quick, 20-second sequence of events to close out the third quarter propelled No. 1-seeded USC women’s basketball to run away with a 73-55 win over the No. 8-seeded Kansas Jayhawks (20-13, 11-7 Big 12).

The 18-point Galen Center victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament gives USC a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994.

“Getting to the Sweet 16 is hard and this team earned that,” said Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “I couldn’t be more proud. I thought today was our team on display.”

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It was the usual suspects for USC: Freshman guard JuJu Watkins and graduate guard McKenzie Forbes led the way, tallying a combined 48 points. Watkins has been consistently spectacular all season and proved it with her 28 points, but Forbes has been on a heater as of late. The graduate now has at least 20 points in three straight games.

With the Jayhawks on a 9-0 run toward the end of the third quarter, it was merely a 1-point game with 1:20 left in the frame and the Trojans were at risk of blowing their 9-point halftime lead. But then, none other than Watkins shifted the game back in her team’s favor.

Watkins hit a triple, then knocked down both free throws on the very next possession. Forbes pickpocketed the rock after the ensuing inbounds pass, which helped lead junior center Clarice Akunwafo to the free-throw line. Akunwafo may have missed one of the shots, but her efforts made it a 7-point game to start the fourth quarter.

“Just staying poised,” Forbes said postgame on how the Trojans shifted the momentum. “You don’t really know where your shot might come from.”

That momentum allowed USC to blow the game open in the final frame, creating a lead as large as 19 points, allowing graduate guard India Otto to check in for her second straight game. The Trojans held the Jayhawks to a mere 9 points in the fourth quarter and USC never led by fewer than 7 points in the final frame, which was important considering Kansas outscored its last opponent 21-14 in the fourth to force overtime and advance to the matchup with USC.

Akunwafo was critical for the Trojans’ scoring, recording six of her nine rebounds in the offensive end. She was also vital to the defensive efforts in the second half, as Kansas’ junior center Taiyanna Jackson was held to 2 points in the fourth quarter. Akunwafo has consistently been dominant against opposing bigs across the country and will be important as the madness of March goes on.

“I’ll put Clarice against any big in the country,” Watkins said postgame.

Besides Akunwafo’s stellar play in the paint, the Trojans were money from the 3-point line, knocking down 13 of their 30 attempts as Kansas’ zone defense kept the downtown shot open. The dynamic duo of Watkins and Forbes combined to knock down 10 of those triples.

The Jayhawks had to shift defenses multiple times throughout the night because of the many ways USC was able to attack them. When Watkins attacked them at the net, they shifted to zone, but in response, the Trojans knocked down their range shots and forced Kansas to spread out their defense.

“Through the year, we’ve seen everything. We’ve seen zones, we’ve seen junk defense, we’ve seen [man-to-man],” Forbes said. “All of us, especially the guards, just staying ready [was important].”

The Trojans will now prepare to travel to Portland for the Sweet 16 and head into uncharted territory for USC this century.

“I just feel really lucky to be a part of the group that kind of brought [USC] back and also shine light on the legends who came before us,” Forbes said. “So it’s just been really fun to kind of see this place come back to life.”

USC will take on the No. 5-seeded Baylor Bears (26-7, 12-6 Big 12) Saturday at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.