Senior forward Rayah Marshall has been through it all at USC.

She’s been here for the losing, the heartbreak, the ascent toward the top and now the championship aspirations.

“Freshman year … [Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb] said, we’re going to be a top-five team by the time it’s our senior year, we’re going to run the conference, and me and [senior center Clarice Akunwafo] would look at each other and [be] like, ‘Is this woman okay?’” Marshall said after Sunday’s 76-66 win. “And look at us now … now we’re here, a top- five team in the country.”

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Marshall was one of five Trojans honored before and after the game — which marked their last regular season game at Galen Center. USC showed out as the No. 4 Trojans (25-2, 15-1 Big Ten) got their eighth ranked win of the year, downing then-No. 25 Illinois (21-7, 11-6) in front of a raucous home crowd.

To celebrate her senior day festivities, Marshall played one of her season’s best and most complete games so far. She scored 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting, but what was really impactful was her dirty work for the Trojans. She led the team with 13 rebounds, four steals and five assists. 

“[Marshall] has her fingerprints all over making this program better, and I think those are the things that are going to be as lasting as her blocks and her points … I think when I remember her, it’s going to be doing this journey of getting this program to another level,” Gottlieb said in the postgame press conference. “I’m just super grateful to have had Rayah in my life.”

But Marshall wasn’t the only standout senior of the afternoon. Although she didn’t start her journey at USC as Marshall did, graduate forward Kiki Iriafen has also had an enormous impact on this team this year, and Sunday was no different.

She started the game aggressively, going at the Fighting Illini defenders in the post. She capped a dominant first-quarter performance for the Trojans, scoring 8 points and shooting 3 for 4 from the field. Whether it was in the post, at the free throw line or her patented baseline jumper, Iriafen was going to work.

“[Iriafen] over the last couple weeks has hit her stride [with] confidence, with her level of unguardability when she’s in her spots and whether that’s on the perimeter or in the post,” Gotlieb said. “I thought our team did a really good job of feeding off [Iriafen and Marshall’s] energy today, and we got contributions from a lot of places.”

Iriafen finished the day with 22 points to go along with one steal and two blocks.

Sophomore guard JuJu Watkins was also sure to stuff the stat sheet in her own right. She was active all over the defensive end, finishing with four blocks and plenty of fast break points. Her flashiness was on full display with 5 minutes to go in the first quarter.

Watkins calmly pulled down a defensive rebound and rushed the ball up the court with a Fighting Illini defender all over her. She smoothly erased the defender from the play by hitting a Eeuro step inside the paint, evading another defender and softly laying the ball in the hoop. 

It wasn’t as easy as Watkins made it seem, as the Trojans struggled a bit later in the game. Despite a strong first quarter — during which USC made 10 of its 15 shots — the Fighting Illini cut into the lead and took control of the game in the middle of the third quarter.

USC had been in total control of the game, but after going nearly nine minutes without making a field goal, the Trojans were in trouble. USC missed 14 straight shots in this stretch, and Illinois gained a 42-41 edge. That’s when Gottlieb implemented her full-court trap.

The Trojans pressured the Fighting Illini straight from the inbounds, with multiple defenders preventing easy backcourt passes. Gottlieb usually employs a press in which her point guard guards the length of the court, but for the trap, Gottlieb has multiple defenders swarming a ball carrier the second they catch the ball.

This helped speed up the Fighting Illini offense and force them to make bad mistakes. Of course, Marshall broke the scoring drought and followed up on the next play with a breakaway steal and easy layup on the other end that had everyone in Galen on their feet. USC used full-court pressure to generate 17 turnovers and 11 total steals.

“We’re at our best when we’re getting stops and able to play in transition,” Gottlieb said. “Sometimes when we just need to change the pace, it starts with our full court press, and then the players do all the effort. And I thought that got us going.” 

The Trojans hit 6 of their next 7 shots to build a big lead into the fourth quarter. If it hadn’t been for Illinois’ fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant’s 22 points, it wouldn’t have been as close as it was.

Still, the Trojans allowed the Fighting Illini to hang in the game for a while. It was close up until the final buzzer as USC shot just above 33% in the fourth quarter, but a win is still a win. 

Now, all attention is focused on their final regular season game of the year: A rematch with No. 3 UCLA (26-1, 14-1). The winner claims their inaugural regular season Big Ten title and takes a huge step toward an all-important No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

“We can still be better; Illinois is good, and we played into their hands at times, but I’m really pleased with getting a win for these guys on senior day,” Gottlieb said. “And now every game moving forward is a championship-type game, so the stakes get higher. That’s gonna be fun.”

USC will get nearly a full week of rest before suiting up again. The Trojans will head over to Pauley Pavilion on Saturday at 6 p.m. for the all-important showdown with the Bruins.