No. 3 USC hits two late free throws to beat Ole Miss 68-66 in Paris

AP Sports Writer

PARIS (AP) — Kiki Iriafen made a pair of free throws with seconds remaining to lift No. 3 Southern California over Mississippi 68-66 on Monday in a season-opening doubleheader in France.

The score was tied 66-66 with 10 seconds left when Iriafen — an Associated Press preseason All-America selection — hit her two free throws.

Iriafen finished with 22 points while teammate JuJu Watkins led the way for USC with 27 points.

K.K. Deans scored 19 points for No. 20 Ole Miss. Madison Scott added 14.

With a little under two minutes left, Deans made a jump shot from near halfway to put Ole Miss ahead 66-64.

The 8,000-capacity Adidas Arena, home to the men’s Paris Basketball team, was about half full.

Takeaways

USC: The Trojans gave the ball away too often and were sloppy in defense at times, too often leaving themselves wide open from 3-point range.

Mississippi: The Rebels just kept coming back, rallying to lead 16-15 at the end of the first quarter and then fighting back from an 11-point halftime deficit. They outscored USC 40-31 in the second half.

Key moment

Having done so much to drag her team back into the game from the floor — including a game-high four 3-pointers — Deans fouled out with 10 seconds left. She walked off with her head bowed as USC took advantage.

Key stat

7 — Ole Miss was 7 of 23 from 3-point range, while USC was only 1 of 11.

Up Next

USC takes on Cal Poly at the Galen Center on Saturday. Ole Miss hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball