JuJu Watkins scores 35 as No. 4 USC notches another win
Back home at Galen after a long two-game road trip on the East Coast, the No. 4 USC Trojans kept right on winning Sunday evening, posting a 95-73 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions.
JuJu Watkins scored a game-high 35 points on just 15 shots in an incredibly efficient night. She hit 13 of 15 shots, including two of three from beyond the three-point arc and connected on seven of nine free throw attempts. She finished off her third double-double of the season by grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Watkins chipped in five steals, three assists and three blocks. She now has at least 20 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and one made three-pointer in seven-straight games.
USC forward Kiki Iriafen again came up big for the Trojans. She scored 28 points against Penn State, the second-most she’s had in a game this season.
A competitive game early started to open up at the end of the first quarter as a late Watkins three gave the Trojans a 27-18 lead after one quarter. The finish to the second quarter was more of the season. Penn State cut the USC lead to seven, at 38-31, with 4:15 remaining in the first half. Another Watkins three-pointer sparked an 18-0 by the Trojans to take a 56-31 lead into the locker room. Watkins had 10 points during the run, including a three-point play for the final points.
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Watkins and Iriafen didn’t do it alone but they certainly did much of the heavy lifting. Talia von Oelhoffen and Kennedy Smith each shot 2-of-8 from the floor and combined to go 1-for-10 from three-point range.
The Trojans struggled from deep, going just 6-for-25 from three. But Penn State committed 21 turnovers that led to 27 points for the Trojans.
USC won’t play it’s previously scheduled Wednesday matchup against Northwestern as the Wildcats elected not to try to Los Angeles this week due to the wildfires. The Trojans’ next game will take place Sunday, Jan. 19 at Indiana. The Hoosiers are 12-4 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play this season. That lone conference loss came at home to No. 1 UCLA.
