At the bitter end of a brutal January, Kennedy Smith put her head down, determined to will her way to the hoop. All month long, USC faded in the most unfortunate moments, letting games get away from them. 8 Iowa climbed back in the third quarter, threatening to add another defeat to that list, Smith, the Trojans’ emotional leader, took matters into her hands. Nevertheless, she said, “right now, this was really, really needed.”That the decisive stretch came courtesy of Smith felt all the more fitting, considering how she started the game. USC made nine of its next 11 shots, while Iowa didn’t hit another perimeter shot until the fourth quarter.