Playing without JuJu Watkins, USC leans on big performances from Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell to defeat Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

FINAL: USC 67, Kansas State 61. K-State misses its last five shots and No. 1 seed USC holds off K-State, 67-61, in the Spokane 4 Regional semifinal. K-State's season ends at 28-8.

SPOKANE, Ore. — Freshman Kennedy Smith stepped into the void left by injured star JuJu Watkins, scoring 19 points to help USC women’s basketball hold off Kansas State 67-61 in the Sweet 16 of ...

Kennedy Smith, who scored a team-high 19 points, drives on Jaelyn Glenn during USC’s 67-61 Sweet 16 win over Kansas State on March 29, 2025. AP.

Halftime: Kansas State 30 -- USC 28. The Wildcats shook off a slow start and outscored the Trojans 21-12 in the second quarter to take the lead going into the break.

Against Kansas State, USC did just that — employing Rayah Marshall (6 feet 4) and Clarice Akunwafo (6 feet 6) to do the heavy lifting on the Lee defensive assignment.

USC pulls away to 61-47 lead. Kansas State has shot the ball better in the second half, going 7 of 15 overall, but just 2 of 8 from 3-point range.

Freshman Kennedy Smith scores 19 and Avery Howell adds 18 as USC beats Kansas State 67-61 without injured star JuJu Watkins, setting up Elite Eight rematch with UConn.