USC Women's Basketball: Trojans Beat Stanford Behind JuJu Watkins' 51-Point Night
JuJu Watkins is unreal.
Your USC Trojans' five-star freshman out of Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth just submitted her best game of the 2023-24 season...
...But it wasn't just her individual best game. She also notched the single-best game of the year so far.
In a road game against the favored (-12.5) Stanford Cardinal (the No. 4-ranked team in the nation, far ahead of the No. 15 Trojans in the latest AP Poll), Watkins scored an astounding 51 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the floor (6-of-11 from deep) and 17-of-19 shooting from the charity stripe, propelling the underdog Trojans to a 67-58 victory and a 15-4 record on the year (5-4 in the Pac-12). The loss drops Stanford to a still-great 19-3 on the season.
Read that again.
51 points.
Watkins scored 51 of her team's 67 points, 76.1% of her team's total. The 6'2" wing also chipped in 11 rebounds, four steals and two dimes. Her two flashy assists yielded a pair of layups, meaning she directly contributed to 55 of those 67 points, if you want to get technical (82%).
Per USC's official X/Twitter account, those 51 points represent the most scored by a Division I player this season. She was also the first USC women's player to score over 40 in a game since Hall of Fame combo forward Tina Thompson in 1996, the Trojans' X/Twitter account adds. More importantly, per The Associated Press, it counts as a new single-game scoring record for a USC player. The previous high was 50 points, as scored by Cherie Nelson in a March 11th, 1989 bout against California.
The game's first half was a fairly back-and-forth affair, featuring five lead changes. Fittingly, the two teams wound up tied at the break, 31-31. Even by the end of the first quarter, however, it was pretty clear Watkins was in her bag.
A 21-11 third quarter put USC firmly in the driver's seat for the night. Watkins outscored the Cardinal singlehandedly during the frame, notching 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field (2-of-3 beyond the arc) and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe.
She flexed her offensive versatility on the night, too, notching yet another pull-up three to kick things off...
...While also nailing baseline jumpers in her defender's face:
Stanford actually outscored USC by a point, 16-15, in the final period, and for a while it seemed like the Cardinal was rallying. Watkins finished with 11 of those points (eight off free throws), but also contributed to another two, having dishing out a dime to McKenzie Forbes for a layup.
A few tactical free throws from junior Cardinal forward Kiki Iriafen got Stanford back within shouting distance of USC, shrinking the Trojans' edge to just two points, 58-56, with 2:18 remaining. Some foul-happy play by both sides kept things interesting for a while, until Watkins was able to create some separation late.
Watkins' teammates went appropriately bonkers in the visitors' locker room postgame:
This 51-point stunner marks Watkins' seventh 30+ point night in college, further extending her record for a USC freshman (future Hall of Famers Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie were previously tied at three such bouts apiece).
And her year ain't over yet.
Two-time All-American Stanford forward Cameron Brink scored 19 points (on a rough 4-of-14 shooting from the floor, though she compensated by going 11-of-12 from the foul line), grabbed 15 boards, and blocked eight shots.
Only one other Trojan scored more than two points: grad student McKenzie Forbes, who finished with 12 points on 5-of-18 shooting (2-of-7 from three-point land).
USC enjoyed a major advantage in ball control, turning the rock over just seven times to Stanford's 13. The Trojans also shot better from long range (34.8% on 23 triple tries to the Cardinal's 26.7% on 15 attempts).
Watkins' offensive explosion really was the difference maker, though. Even with Stanford's chippy defense effectively limiting Watkins to jumpers for much of the opening half and forcing her to make shots on her weaker side (the left), the superstar-in-the-making adjusted. She looked absolutely adept in knocking down mid- and long-range shots off the bounce, even with Cardinal defenders sealing her.
