Cruising along the perimeter toward the near wing, freshman guard Kayleigh Heckel plotted a path toward the basket. When the proper parting presented itself, she sprinted to the paint untouched and electrified the Galen Center crowd with a circus-like reverse layup.

That nearly 7,000-person standing ovation affirmed the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament identity — USC is juicy. The No. 1-seeded Trojans (29-3, 17-1 Big Ten) crushed UNC Greensboro (25-7, 13-1 Southern Conference) 71-25 Saturday afternoon, advancing to the second round of March Madness.

The Round of 64 began almost two weeks after USC’s last game, and understandably, the Trojans showed some early rust. It was a low-scoring opening frame, with players from both teams hitting the deck more often than they generated open looks. USC managed a narrow 12-8 lead as the first quarter came to a close. 

To counteract their shooting struggles, the Trojans turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, inciting a mutual state of shooting subordination. UNCG missed all 11 of its shot attempts in the period, and as the Trojans went on a 16-0 scoring run, the Spartans were scoreless for almost nine minutes.

“Our defense was our calling card. I think the pressure helped get us going,” said Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb in a postgame press conference.

UNCG struggled to find the net for the remainder of the game, shooting 13% overall from the field. Although the Trojans didn’t have their best scoring outing, they shot better as the game progressed, finishing at 37.5% from the field. Key producers from behind the arc — freshman guards Avery Howell and Kennedy Smith — went cold, shooting a combined 1-6 from three.

“[The Spartans] have very high defensive efficiency. They [were] No. 1 in the country in that,” Heckel said. “The biggest thing for us was being able to face ourselves. We were beating ourselves in the first half on offense.”

Senior forward Rayah Marshall kept the Trojans’ optimism afloat in the first half. She was impassable, racking up seven blocks, six rebounds and a pair of steals on the day.

“[Marshall] really is the anchor of our team;, there’s no us without Rayah,” said graduate forward Kiki Iriafen. “Whenever we’re stagnant, she’s typically the one to get us back into our flow.”

USC whipped out the WD-40 in the second half, maintaining its stifling defensive performance and elevating its offensive production. After a first half that saw 11 turnovers by the Trojans, they cleaned up their play in the second half, committing only six. In the third quarter, USC held UNCG to just 5 points, allowing a single field goal on 12 attempts. 

The runaway victory allowed Gottlieb to empty her bench. Thirteen different players saw the court, including nine underclassmen, with Smith’s 29 minutes of play leading the team. 

Iriafen finished with a double-double, netting 13 points and 13 rebounds with dominant paint play that kept the Spartans honest. Like the rest of the team, though, it took a while for her to find her rhythm on offense. She made her first field goal of the game after 17 minutes and four misses. Still, the fearlessness of the team’s young core allowed its veterans to play with an unjaded sense of joy.

“We have a lot of youth. I would say I’m getting up there in age, so playing with a lot of freshmen, sophomores and young players makes me go out there and have fun,” Iriafen said. “They play so carefree, so I try to do the same.”

The game wasn’t entirely drama-free. Late in the third quarter, fans and commentators alike were shaken up by the sight of sophomore guard JuJu Watkins hobbling toward the baseline after trying to drive into the paint for a quick score. Heckel entered the game in her stead, but not before Watkins sent a triple through the net to stretch out the lead even further.

“At the end of the season, the body is a little banged up,” Watkins said. “Nobody cares … I’m all good, don’t worry.”

Despite the supposed injuries, Watkins’ habitual dexterity was on show for all to see. She flew around the court, pulling down eight rebounds and helping to keep the Spartans’ guard-heavy offense in check. After the hobble, she returned to the court in the fourth quarter, adding an easy layup to finish with a team-leading 22 points on 8-17 shooting.

After the score went final, Watkins changed into sweats and joined Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and his mother in the stands to watch the grand unveiling of USC’s next tournament foe. In the other first-round matchup at Galen Center, ninth-seeded Mississippi State (22-11, 7-9 SEC) battled eighth-seeded UC Berkeley (25-9, 12-6 ACC) for the right to face the Trojans in the Round of 32.

The matchup yielded a unique situation for Gottlieb, who coached at Cal from 2011 to 2019. 

“On the one hand, you know, you like to root for your people that you know,” Gottlieb said. “On the other hand, you don’t want to play your people that you know.”

Her heart won’t be tested on Monday, though; Mississippi State led for nearly the entire matchup and walked away with a 59-46 win over Gottlieb’s former employer.

To clinch a ticket to Spokane for the Sweet 16, Mississippi State and USC will tip off at 7 p.m. on Monday night at Galen Center.