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JuJu Watkins leads No. 4 USC to a dominant win against Rutgers

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•01/06/25•

ErikTMcKinney

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(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

JuJu Watkins scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds in leading the No. 4 USC Trojans (14-1, 4-0) to a 92-42 win against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-7, 0-4).

This one was over before it started as Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington elected to hold out Scarlet Knights’ star freshman Kiyomi McMiller, who averages 19.9 points per game to lead the team.

Watkins hit a three-pointer 18 seconds in the game and that was that. The Trojans led 20-4 in the first quarter and 33-10 in the second quarter before taking a 37-14 lead into the halftime locker room.

True freshman Kennedy Smith scored six of her 19 points on back-to-back three-pointers to open the second half and the only question left was the eventual margin of victory for the Trojans. The 50-point win marks the worst home loss in school history for the Scarlet Knights and it was close to surpassing the 54-point loss at Iowa in 2023 as the worst overall loss in school history.

Ten different Trojans scored and 13 USC players logged minutes. Kiki Iriafen scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, including five of USC’s 26 offensive rebounds. Rayah Marshall scored nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Next up for the Trojans is a tough test on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at No. 8 and undefeated Maryland, which is 14-0 with ranked wins against Michigan State and Iowa this season. The Terps are led by junior guard Kaylene Smikle, who is averaging 18.1 points per game and hitting 46.2% of her three-point shots.

The Trojans have won 10 games in a row, including a big road win over then-No. 4 UConn.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz