JuJu Watkins broke out of a scoring slump with 38 points, helping sixth-ranked USC topple No. 1 UCLA 71-60 and further delivering on her goal of restoring the program to its earlier glory.
Some of those Trojans stars from the early 1980s — including Hall of Famers Cheryl Miller and Tina Thompson — joined a raucous crowd as USC rallied for the program’s first win over a top-ranked team since 1983 on Thursday night.
“Gonna be one of those nights,” DJ Mal-Ski told the soldout crowd of 10,258 during pregame warmups.
It surely was.
After her sister Mali sang the national anthem, Watkins scored eight points in five minutes to start the game when the Trojans put the Bruins in an early hole.
“JuJu got hot off the bounce and she got in a rhythm,” UCLA coach Cori Close said.
Watkins had all of USC’s points in the second quarter when they were outscored 20-14. She stopped the Bruins’ 10-0 run with a 3-pointer that kept the Trojans ahead 38-35 at the half.
It was her second-highest scoring game of the season, just two points shy of her 40-point effort against California Baptist on Dec. 3.
“I wear #12 to be like JuJu,” read a sign held by a youngster. Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers wore a JuJu T-shirt.
So did the predominantly cardinal-clad crowd that was diverse in its age, gender and racial makeup, a testament to Watkins’ drawing power and the support she enjoys from the nearby Watts community where she grew up.
Watkins came into the game shooting 12-of-45 from the floor in her last two home games. She was just 4-of-25 from 3-point range in that span, too.
She hit 6-of-9 3-pointers and 8-of-10 free throws to go with 11 rebounds, eight blocks and five assists.
“She takes pride on both sides of the ball,” Close said.
Also in the crowd were actors Kevin Hart and Issa Rae, NFL rookie of the year Jayden Daniels, Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby of the LA Sparks, and Vanessa Bryant and daughter Natalia.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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