No. 6 USC rallies past Washington after slow start

SEATTLE — Kiki Iriafen scored 19 points and No. 6 USC rallied to beat Washington 69-64 on Sunday.

JuJu Watkins had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Trojans (23-2, 13-1 Big Ten), who were coming off a statement victory over top-ranked UCLA and trailed by as many as 12 points against the Huskies. Kennedy Smith added 14 points, going 4 for 8 on 3-pointers.

USC shot just 29% from the field in the first three quarters, before going 11 for 16 in the fourth.

Washington’s Sayvia Sellers led all scorers with 24 points. Hannah Stines — who shadowed Watkins all day on defense — added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

From the opening tip, the Huskies (14-12, 5-9) slowed the game down, taking as much time off the shot clock as possible every time down the floor. As a result, the score was tied at 23-23 at halftime after a second quarter that featured just four made field goals.

USC didn’t reach 30 points until nearly eight minutes into the third quarter. The Trojans went on to score 38 in the final 12 minutes.

USC: The Trojans won their fourth straight game, and head into the final three matchups in the regular season in control of the top seed in the Big Ten.

Washington: The Huskies fell to 0-4 against top-10 teams on the season; all of those losses came by 10 points or fewer.

With 4:19 left in regulation, Talia von Oelhoffen found Iriafen over the top for a transition bucket — along with a foul — that put USC ahead 55-53.

The Trojans went 4 for 16 from beyond the arc in the first three quarters, and 4 for 7 in the fourth.

USC faces Michigan State on Wednesday, and Washington hosts Rutgers on Thursday.