JuJu Watkins scores 38 points as No. 6 USC takes down No. 1 UCLA
There are statement wins and statement performances and the No. 6 USC Trojans got one of each Thursday night in a 71-60 win over the No. 1 UCLA Bruins as star sophomore JuJu Watkins might have turned in the best performance of her USC career.
Watkins finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, five assists and a steal. And that’s just scratching the surface of her impact in this one. The Trojans made 21 field goals and Watkins scored or assisted on 17 of them. She had five blocks and four assists in the fourth quarter alone.
This fourth-quarter domination by the Trojans at home. USC outscored UCLA 24-8 over the final 10 minutes after the Bruins took a 52-47 lead into the final period.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice made a layup with 4:42 remaining in the game to tie the score at 55. Her and-one free throw pushed UCLA into the lead. But that was it for the UCLA offense. The Bruins did not make another field goal until a tip-in with 11 seconds remaining as the Trojans tore off a 16-2 run over 4:31 of game time. In a pivotal string of events, Watkins hit two free throws, dished an assist, hit two more free throws and recorded another assist in an 8-0 run that stretched the USC lead to 67-57 and set the stage for the win.
USC needed every bit of Watkins’ heroics in this one because the supporting cast took a bit to come around on the offensive end. Through three quarters, Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith combined to shoot 1-for-14 from the floor and had just six points combined. Iriafen turned it on in the fourth quarter, scoring nine points over those 10 minutes and helping lock up the victory.
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After four games in which he struggled from the floor, Watkins came out on fire from the opening tip. She hit three of four three-pointers in the first quarter and scored 11 points. It was more of the same in the second, nailing three more from beyond the arc and going into halftime with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 from distance. Watkins scored all 14 of USC’s points in the second quarter.
UCLA got a big performance from center Lauren Betts, who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. But in the fourth quarter, the Bruins shot just 2-for-16 from the floor, 4-for-9 from the free throw line and missed all five three-point attempts.
The Bruins took an undefeated record into the game at 23-0. This marks USC’s first win over a No. 1-ranked team since 1983.
The Trojans are now 22-2 overall and 12-1 in Big Ten play as they look to again claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Next, they’ll travel to Washington for a 4 pm tipoff on Sunday against the Huskies in Seattle. That will ait on Big Ten Network. A rematch against the Bruins in Westwood lingers as the final game of the regular season — March 1 in a game that will be televised on FOX.
