USC Freshman JuJu Watkins Scores 51, Keys Upset of No. 4 Stanford
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Friday was a magical night for JuJu Watkins.
The USC freshman phenom helped power the No. 15 Trojans to a 67—58 upset victory at No. 4 Stanford. In a game for the ages, Watkins erupted for 51 points, nearly outscoring the entire Cardinal team single-handedly while also setting a school scoring record in the process.
Watkins, a Los Angeles native, added 11 rebounds, four steals and two assists, helping the Trojans capture their first road win against Stanford since 2001.
Watkins scored in a variety of ways in a dizzying display, draining six three-pointers, powering to the rim for easy two-pointers and even putting pressure on the Cardinal defense by earning 19 free-throw attempts, knocking down 17 of them.
Here’s all 51 of JuJu Watkins points 🤯
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) February 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/g212QKLAaE
Watkins’s 51 points broke the school’s previous scoring record of 50 points, set by Cherie Nelson in 1989. It was also the most points scored by any Division I women’s player this year.
The NCAA Division I record for points in a women’s basketball game is 61 by Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee against Oklahoma on Jan. 23, 2022.
The locker room celebration of Watkins’s feat was electric.
51 ‼️ 51 ‼️ 51‼️ pic.twitter.com/b12UAVzPXS
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 3, 2024
During a postgame interview on ESPN, Watkins was aked, “Caitlin Clark who?” in a nod to the Iowa star, who just moved into second place on the Division I women’s career scoring list. The USC guard responded with class, saying she has “much respect” for the Hawkeyes standout.
"Caitlin Clark who?"
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) February 3, 2024
"Ah nah don't do that. Don't do that. Much respect there" -JuJu Watkins after scoring 51, the most points so far this season. pic.twitter.com/GKjjHW7jfx