When Kayla Padilla drew a foul with 14.3 seconds left with USC up by six, Watkins, the Trojans’ star freshman, raised her arms toward the crowd and flashed an exhausted, relieved smile. The sold-out crowd responded to its newest hometown hero by rising to its feet.
Watkins led the Trojans to a 73-65 victory that avenged their only loss of the season and handed their crosstown rivals their first defeat. The star guard’s 32 points helped the No. 9 Trojans (13-1, 3-1 Pac-12) end a nine-game losing streak to the Bruins (14-1, 3-1 Pac-12).
USC was without starting All-Pac-12 forward Rayah Marshall, who missed the game because of illness. Even without the 6-foot-4 junior, the Trojans only lost the rebounding battle 34-33 after the key stat decided the season’s first rivalry matchup.
Watkins had a team-high 10 rebounds with three assists. The freshman from Watts, carrying the weight of her city, was a pest on defense with three steals and three blocks. She hustled to save balls out of bounds, throwing them behind her head to get USC extra possessions, and she was often the first to dive after loose balls. Teammates swarmed her at the horn, but she ended up flat on her back during the dogpile suffering from cramps.
Even as trainers worked on Watkins’ legs, she shouted “Fight On!” into the microphone after head coach Lindsay Gottlieb addressed the crowd.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Watkins’ fellow L.A. native, Charisma Osborne, tried to will the Bruins back from a 15-point halftime deficit. The Windward School alumna scored 23 of her 25 points in the second half.
The last time Osborne lost to the Trojans, in 2020, also marked UCLA’s first loss of the season.
After the Bruins sold out their arena on Dec. 30, USC matched it with another sellout for the first top-10 basketball game in Galen Center’s history. USC great Cheryl Miller sat courtside. Rappers Chris Brown and Saweetie sat near midcourt. Las Vegas Aces star Candace Parker and Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, who played for Gottlieb at California, watched from the baselines.
Like they were when these teams faced off at Pauley Pavilion two weeks ago, fans lined up for hours before tipoff. The student line snaked through the loading dock and down Flower Street. The front row of students spelled out “fours down” in body paint on their chests.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice controls the ball in front of USC guard JuJu Watkins during the first half.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The packed crowd, the largest in USC women’s basketball history, shook the arena with cheers when Watkins was announced in the starting lineup.
The freshman labored for 27 points on seven-of-24 shooting in her first rivalry matchup with UCLA but showed maturity beyond her years by adjusting to the physicality of the Bruins’ defense in Sunday’s rematch. Even after getting blocked by 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts at the 2:15 mark of the second quarter, Watkins calmly collected the rebound and put up a layup to extend a 15-point run for the Trojans.
USC finished the first half on a 17-3 streak, which included a stretch of nine UCLA turnovers. The Bruins had 15 turnovers in the first half compared to just seven made field goals and the miscues resulted in 16 points for the Trojans.
Back-to-back three-pointers by McKenzie Forbes in the final minute of the first quarter busted a tight game open as both teams struggled to find a rhythm early. The teams combined for six made shots compared with 10 turnovers in the first quarter. Forbes’ late shooting surge turned a three-point game into a nine-point USC lead. The Harvard transfer finished with 18 points.