points and was 4 of 9 from 3-point range, while Kayleigh Heckel filled the ball handling role left by Watkins, dishing six assists and scoring 13 points.

The Trojans (30-3) held Mississippi State to 20-of-64 from the field, and forced 20 turnovers.

And, they let the Bulldogs (22-12) know about it.

Heckel and Kennedy Smith clapped the floor on defense and got into the Bulldogs’ ball handlers. Rayah Marshall stared down opponents after each of her four blocks. The bench rose their left hand in the air to copy Iriafen whenever she finished a left-handed layup.

And when Marshall found herself wide open on the left wing with just a couple seconds left and banked in a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, the whole squad swarmed her at half-court.

Iriafen bumped her chest, Howell enveloped her in an embrace, and Aaliyah Gayles wagged her tongue before dapping Marshall up.

In fact, the Trojans made shots to beat the buzzer in the first, second and third quarters.

While all the joy for USC’s dominance came with a grain of salt as Watkins’ injury remained in the back of minds — and the front of hearts — throughout Monday’s game, her teammates did their best to create a different headline.

Her absence gave way for Iriafen to be the hub of the offense.

She scored on consecutive possessions in the first half, setting up on the left elbow and driving to the basket, then countering with a midrange jump shot after the Bulldogs took the drive away.

In the second half, she ran pick-and-rolls with Smith and Heckel, the USC bench making goggle signs over their eyes as the guards found her for finger-roll finishes. Iriafen knocked down another midrange jumper, bobbing her head to mimic the ball bouncing off the rim and in.

By the third quarter, the Galen Center emcee, D.J. Mal-ski, started playing the chorus of Drake’s “In My Feelings,” which goes: “Kiki, do you love me?”

Iriafen looked as if she felt that way about basketball.

Her offense, USC’s defense, their collective enthusiasm, changed the tone of Galen Center on a night where emotions yo-yo’d on a string.

Instead of wallowing in the unknown of Watkins’ status, which remained unknown through Monday’s buzzer, the Trojans’ stuck together and showed their depth.