WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Well, that escalated quickly. Freshman Avery Howell scored a season-high 18 points, JuJu Watkins added 16 points and seven rebounds and the fourth-ranked USC women’s basketball team nearly pitched a second-quarter shutout as it routed Purdue, 79-37, on Wednesday. Kennedy Smith added 12 points, while Rayah Marshall grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. The Trojans (18-1 overall, 8-0 Big Ten) allowed just two points in the second quarter en route to their 14th consecutive win. Half of their conference victories have come by 20 points or more. Kendall Puryear led Purdue (7-12, 0-8) with 10 points as the Boilermakers lost their seventh straight. Destini Lombard scored all eight of her points in the first four minutes as the Boilermakers jumped to a surprising 16-10 first-quarter lead. But the Trojans responded with a 31-0 run that didn’t end until Jordyn Poole beat the shot-clock buzzer with a mid-range jumper at the 1:57 mark in the second quarter. Purdue was scoreless for 8:02, committing eight turnovers during that span. USC led 46-18 at halftime, and Purdue never recovered. USC starting forward Kiki Iriafen did not return after hurting her ankle in the second quarter. Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said they are hopeful it won’t be anything “too significant.” The Trojans would wrap the game with 11 threes landed with a near-perfect 14-of-15 effort from the free-throw line. USC shots 43.5 percent from the floor overall in the win, and the Boilermakers finished at 30.6 percent. The Trojans shot 11 for 30 from 3-point range and were 14 for 15 at the free-throw line. USC shot 43.5% overall and held Purdue to 30.6%, including a 2-for-15 showing from behind the arc. Related Articles College Sports | JuJu Watkins leads No. 4 USC women’s basketball team to Big Ten win at Indiana College Sports | USC’s surge of Big Ten momentum falls flat in loss to No. 24 Wisconsin College Sports | USC hires Rob Ryan as assistant coach for the defense College Sports | USC’s Eric Musselman, like Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, doles out heavy minutes College Sports | After Penn State pursuit, USC inks defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to extension The Boilermakers, who dropped to 0-9 against ranked teams, got off to a better start than they did two weeks ago against top-ranked UCLA, but their young team is not built to stay close against the nation’s best squads. NOTABLE Amazingly, USC’s 31-0 run was only its second-longest scoring run this season behind a 37-0 surge in a 124-39 rout of Cal State Northridge on Nov. 12. … USC’s 18-1 start to the season is its best since the 1981-82 season, and its 8-0 start in conference play is its best since the 1993-94 season. … Howell also set career highs in 3-pointers made (four), and steals (three). … This is the fourth game this season that USC has held its opponent to less than 40 points. It is also the sixth game this season the Trojans have won by 40 points or more. UP NEXT The Trojans get a well-deserved break before hosting No. 23 Minnesota on Jan. 30.