Ten seconds are left in the fourth quarter, and — due to some nigh-inexplicable series of events — No. 3 USC is tied with No. 20 Ole Miss.

In the kickoff game to the 2024-25 women’s basketball season, the two teams met in Paris for the second annual Aflac Oui-Play event. At the end of the night, USC clinched the game by 2 points, at 68-66, in a finale far too close for comfort. 

Despite having come out on top, Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb focused on making improvements after the game.

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“We were not great. We were not good at times,” Gottlieb said in a post-game press conference. “We did some really good things at times, and then, all of a sudden, it felt like it was the Ole Miss invitational, and we came to play their game.”

It was clear from the outset that this was not the same Trojan team that marched to the Elite 8 last spring. Expectations were still high for this new team, as the Trojans managed to gather the top recruiting class in the nation to fill open spaces, but almost half of the team is now made up of freshmen.

However, the loss of graduate guards McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla — who led the team in 3-point shooting percentage — caused a stark contrast between the two teams.

USC was practically nonexistent from beyond the arc against Ole Miss, shooting one for 11. Five players attempted to rise to the challenge, but only sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was able to make a single 3.

Gottlieb said the lack of 3-point success did not reflect the skill she knew the team possessed, instead crediting Ole Miss’ pressure-heavy tactics with the lack of shots made.

For most intents and purposes, USC won its game in the paint, scoring over half of its points there. Still, that does not mean the close-quarters fight came easily. Watkins nearly matched her career-high number of turnovers, and the team followed suit, beating last year’s turnover record by five.

At the same time, as much as Ole Miss could not stop the Trojan advance, the inverse was also true. USC held a lead of 15 early in the third quarter, but that lead diminished quickly. When Ole Miss graduate guard KK Deans dropped two bombs and a jump shot, that lead no longer existed.

Hence, it all came down to a player new to USC but experienced in the game. Graduate forward Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC from Stanford after being crowned the best power forward in the nation last season. That skill showed up on full display against Ole Miss.

With only 5 fewer points than Watkins, more rebounds and fewer turnovers, Iriafen gave the internationally renowned sophomore a run for her money as the star of the game. Though, Watkins said she was more than willing to share the spotlight.

“I just try to be the best teammate that I can. If I’m the option when it comes down to the wire, then I am,” Watkins said. “Just knowing that I have that support, that I’m playing with a lot of great players around me, that we all share that responsibility, it’s a great thing.”

Iriafen said the new team took some time to mesh, but by the end of the game, they had hit their stride.

“We all came together in the fourth quarter,” Iriafen said. “It took a little longer than we would have liked, but we came together.”

After a hard-fought back and forth, it came down to the final 10 seconds. Iriafen sank one from the charity line — then another. Ole Miss’ final bungled shot sealed the deal, and the Trojans took Paris.

Watkins said the tough game was a blessing in some ways, preparing them for what’s to come.

“We’re new. We’re still learning each other,” Watkins said. “Ole Miss is a great team, and we’re glad we got to experience that the first go-around.”

Gottlieb joked that the Paris game was great preparation for the Big Ten, saying, “Every plane flight now is going to seem short.”

The next game brings the Trojans back to the homefront Saturday, where they’ll face the Cal Poly Mustangs at Galen Center at 2 p.m.