Women's Fastbreak On SI

JuJu Watkins Block, Paige Bueckers Staredown Highlight Thrilling USC Win Over UConn

JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers each made a star-caliber play in a fantastic USC vs. UConn showdown.

Grant Young

Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) on the court in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) on the court in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The No. 4 ranked UConn Huskies played a home game against the No. 7 ranked USC Trojans on Saturday night in what was perhaps the most compelling matchup of the entire 2024-25 women's college basketball season.

Anybody who tuned in for the game (which USC won 72-70) would agree that it absolutely delivered. While UConn's offense was struggling to keep up with the Trojans in the first half, they rallied back and ultimately came extremely close to sending the game to overtime before coming up just short.

The biggest reason for all the hype about this game was because of the matchup between JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers, who are arguably the two biggest superstars in women's college basketball this season.

Both Watkins and Bueckers produced great performances, as Watkins finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks while Bueckers added 22 points.

The two were guarding each other for much of the night. And one play that each made on the other is stealing headlines in the game's aftermath.

At the start of the third quarter, Watkins blocked a three-point attempt from Bueckers, took the ball down the court, executed a nasty crossover, and nailed an extremely difficult finish.

It didn't take Bueckers long to respond, as she later drained a three-pointer over Watkins. After doing so, she turned around and gave Watkins an intense staredown before getting on defense.

Watkins ultimately got the last laugh, as she outscored Bueckers and her team secured the big road win. But both of these superstars' respective profiles were heightened to a new level after Saturday night.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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