USC Projan Kiki Iriafen overcomes early injury scare and returns vs. Chicago Sky

A lot was seen during Kiki Iriafen's final college season with USC. 'Toughness' and 'fight' would be two words that instantly come to mind when describing the former Trojan's style of play. Now with the Washington Mystics, Iriafen has done exceptionally well as a rookie in the WNBA.

In an early morning matchup against the Chicago Sky, Iriafen had a scare that had many fans fearing the worst. Battling for a rebound against Angel Reese, the former Trojan took what appeared to be a forearm to the head during the fight on the glass.

For some reason, play continued despite the clear contact to the head, and Iriafen stayed on the floor well after the possession had finished. Eventually, the whistle brought a stop to the game while Iriafen went to the locker room, but it was something that initially looked bad and could have gone worse. Fortunately, she was able to safely make it to the locker room for treatment and further evaluation.

After not being seen for a bit, the Mystics' forward returned and was able to close out the half.

In something of a symbolic display of justice, Reese attempted to take Iriafen on one-on-one in a late iso situation. Iriafen not only forced the turnover, but it then directly led to a Jade Melbourne layup on the other end.

Setting the tone through former USC forward

Particularly on defense, Iriafen is doing what is needed, and Washington is collectively following her lead and proving to be a pesky, defensive-oriented side that makes life difficult in the half-court setting.

More importantly, Iriafen appears to have avoided anything serious that could have resulted from the engagement with Reese and what could have potentially resulted from the referees allowing play to continue with her staying down on the floor. The USC Projan's fortitude was on full display during Tuesday's WNBA game.