INDIANAPOLIS — Kiki Iriafen scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half Saturday, JuJu Watkins added 20 points and each pulled down 11 rebounds to send No. 2 USC past fifth-seeded Michigan 82-70 and into the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
The Trojans (28-2) will face No. 4 UCLA on Sunday. USC won the regular-season title by sweeping the two-game series against the Bruins.
USC won its ninth straight despite Watkins, the conference’s player of the year, having an off night. Iriafen made 10 of 19 shots.
Syla Swords finished with 26 points and Olivia Olson added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Wolverines (22-10).
USC trailed 31-29 at halftime but turned the game when Iriafen scored eight straight points late in the third quarter to give the Trojans a 50-48 lead. They closed it out with a 16-2 run midway through the fourth.
Takeaways
Michigan: The Wolverines came into the semi with three straight wins and played even better than advertised against one of the nation’s top teams. But they ran out of gas, playing their third game in three days.
USC: Again, the Trojans were sloppy. They struggled with taking care of the ball, shot poorly and didn’t take control until late. Still, though, they managed to do just enough.
Key moment
Watkins’ midrange leaner with 6 minutes, 14 seconds to play broke a 60-60 tie. Malia Samuels then completed a three-point play.
Key stat
The Trojans had a 17-12 edge in second-chance points.
UCLA 75, Ohio State 46
Londynn Jones made six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points, leading No. 4 UCLA to a rout.
The victory sets up a third showdown between the conference’s regular-season champ, No. 2 USC, and the runner-up Bruins on Sunday.
Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez each scored 12 points in limited action. Betts had six rebounds, Jaquez had five as UCLA (29-2) won its second straight by double digits.
Jaloni Cambridge scored 10 points to lead the Buckeyes (25-6).
But this game was never really close after the Bruins took a 16-5 lead less than five minutes into the game. UCLA then closed the first half on a 9-0 spurt, keeping Ohio State scoreless over the final 3:09, to take a 44-21 lead.
Takeaways
Ohio State: The Buckeyes played well most of this season but struggled in every facet of the game — shooting, defense and rebounding — against the more motivated Bruins.
UCLA: Coach Cori Close’s team came to Indy with a mission: getting another shot at the Trojans. They’ve certainly played well so far, although the real challenge comes Sunday.
Key moment
Betts scored her first points on back-to-back baskets early in the second quarter, and her presence helped fuel the closing first-half run from which the Buckeyes never recovered.
Key stat
Ohio State was outrebounded 21-9 and outscored 22-4 in second-chance points in the first half.
Big Ten Tournament
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Wednesday’s games
(12) Washington 79, (13) Minnesota 65
(10) Nebraska 84, (15) Rutgers 60
(11) Iowa 81, (14) Wisconsin 54
Thursday’s games
(9) Indiana 78, (8) Oregon 62
(5) Michigan 66, (12) Washington 58
(10) Nebraska 74, (7) Illinois 70
(11) Iowa 74, (6) Michigan State 61
Friday’s quarterfinals
(1) USC 84, (9) Indiana 79
(5) Michigan 98, (4) Maryland 71
(2) UCLA 85, (10) Nebraska 74
(3) Ohio State 60, (11) Iowa 59
Saturday’s semifinals
(1) USC 72, (5) Michigan 60
(2) UCLA 75, (3) Ohio State 46
Sunday’s final
(1) USC vs. (2) UCLA, 3:30 p.m., CBS-2
