USC women's basketball star guard JuJu Watkins blew up on social media with her terrific first-half performance against UCLA. The No. 6 Trojans were fired up for their game against the undefeated No. 1 Bruins. The clash of the Big Ten heavyweights was a back-and-forth affair until USC took control in the fourth quarter. The Trojans outscored the Bruins 24-8 in the final ten minutes to pick up another signature win this season.
The sophomore superstar posted an incredible stat line. Watkins finished the game with 38 points, eleven rebounds, five assists, and eight blocks in the 71-60. However, it was the freshman's first half that had her going viral on Thursday night.
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USC women's basketball picked up a critical win on Thursday to put itself atop the Big Ten standings. The Trojans are now 22-2 overall with a conference record of 12-1. That includes four top-ten wins and two straight victories against top-ranked Big Ten foes. JuJu Watkins has led the charge this year. The 2024 unanimous first-team All-American came into this season with massive expectations.
While Watkins's scoring has dipped, her efficiency is up from last year, and her turnovers are significantly down. And that point-per-game average of 23.9 is still good enough to be fifth in the country. USC women's basketball now has just four games left on its regular season schedule.
The first three games are very winnable, but the last clash will be a visit to the team the Trojans just beat. The Bruins will surely be looking for revenge against the team that gave them their first loss of the season. While UCLA dominated the glass on Thursday, it struggled from the field, shooting just 35.1% overall and 15.4% from three-point range.
Overall, USC is looking every bit of the national title contender it was expected to be heading into the year. Led by a College Player of the Year candidate, the Trojans have a chance of resembling their dominant days of the 1980s. During that era, this program's rise was sparked by one of the greatest players of all time, Cheryl Miller. JuJu Watkins has the kind of talent to follow in Miller's footsteps and bring about a new golden age for the Trojans.
