University Southern California Trojans
USC
15-4,5-4Pac-12
Stanford
19-3,8-2Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | 14 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 67 |
| Stanford | 18 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 58 |
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
Game Leaders
JuJu Watkins Scores USC-Record 51 points To Help No. 15 USC Women's Basketball Upset No. 4 Stanford 67-58
February 02, 2024 | Women's Basketball
It was USC's first win at Maples Pavilion since 2001.
STANFORD, CALIF. — Freshman JuJu Watkins was a force of nature. Her 25 first-half points had the No. 15 USC women's basketball team even with host No. 4 Stanford. And 26 more in the second half not only secured USC's first road win over the Cardinal since 2001, it cemented Watkins with the most points ever scored in a game by a Trojan. Her 51-point outing paired with 11 rebounds for the Trojans, who topped Stanford 67-58 tonight at Maples Pavilion. USC improves to 15-4 overall and to 5-4 in Pac-12 play with the upset — the Trojans' third win over a top-10 opponent this season — while Stanford goes to 19-3, 8-2 in receiving a rare home loss at the hands of the Trojans.
The lead changed five times in the first half while USC's JuJu Watkins was the driving force for the Trojans en route to a 31-31 scoreline at halftime. Watkins had delivered 25 of USC's first-half 31 points, with the Trojans shooting 34.3 percent overall in those first 20 minutes. Stanford, meanwhile, was hitting at a 35.3 percent clip, and was up on the boards 24-18 thanks in large part to Cameron Brink's 10 first-half rebounds for the Cardinal. Watkins kept coming in the second half, draining bucket after bucket and free throw after free throw in spite of the fact that USC had three players foul out by the four-minute mark of the fourth. Big shots from McKenzie Forbes also helped USC fend off the Cardinal's comeback efforts, as she'd join Watkins in double digits with 12 on the night. USC finished out the game shooting 32.8 percent overall to edge out Stanford's 31.6 percent effort, with the Trojans and Cardinal ending up even on the boards 39-39.
In addition to her double-double on 51 points and 11 rebounds, Watkins had four steals and two assists. Forbes scored 10 of her final 12 points in the second half for the Trojans. Stanford was led by Brink's 19 points and 15 rebounds, with Kiki Iriafen adding 16 points and Hannah Jump had 10 for the Cardinal.
51 ‼️ 51 ‼️ 51‼️ pic.twitter.com/b12UAVzPXS
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 3, 2024
While the foul count tipped against the Trojans, the Cardinal made a 7-0 run to lead it 13-7 before JuJu Watkins went to the line to knock down a pair and snap the run. She and Rayah Marshall both had been dealt a pair of fouls but then, but that didn't stop Watkins from knocking down a jumper and a 3-pointer to get USC within four at 18-14 by the close of the first. Watkins kept chugging, scoring seven straight all her own to open the second — having accounted for all but two of USC's points — to get the Trojans on top 21-18 at 8:25. Stanford would find its footing next, though, striking off on another 7-0 rally into the lead. That surge came to a stop at the hands of McKenzie Forbes to get it to a two-point game at 25-23 with 6:10 on the clock. Three minutes later, Clarice Akunwafo converted in the paint, and Watkins would net the equalizer to knot it at 31-31 two minutes before halftime. A stalemate ensued, although the whistle would blow three USC fouls in a 30-second span, and it remained a 31-31 snarl at the break.
Watkins kicked off the second half with a 3-pointer to lift USC into the lead, and the Trojans would stay out ahead the rest of that stretch. Watkins would work her way to 40 points with three free throws at 4:15 to make it a 10-point USC lead at 4:15. McKenzie Forbes contributed her second 3-pointer of the frame later for another USC boost, and the Trojans were up 52-42 entering the fourth. Within a six-minute span, USC had three players foul out — Rayah Marshall was dealt her fifth in the final second of the third, and then by the 4-minute mark of the fourth both Akunwafo and Kaitlyn Davis had joined her on the bench with five fouls apiece. Stanford got it to a two-point margin with yet another visit to the line with 2:18 to go, only to see USC score the next nine points after a buzzer-beating bucket from Forbes made it 60-56 at 1:45. Forbes served up a block on the defensive end with 21 seconds left, and Watkins hit four straight free throws to work her way to her record-breaking night and set her Trojans up for the big road win.
NEXT:
USC heads to Berkeley next to square off against California in a 12 p.m. Pac-12 clash on Sunday (Feb. 4) at Haas Pavilion.
NOTABLE:
- With her 51 points tonight, FR JuJu Watkins set the USC record for most points scored by a Trojan in a game, beating Cherie Nelson's previous record of 50 score vs. Cal on March 11, 1989.
- Watkins has now tallied seven games this season with 30 or more points — the most such outings by a Trojan since Nelson had eight as a senior in 1988-89.
- In adding 11 rebounds, Watkins recorded her fourth double-double.
- Watkins' 25 first-half points marked the most she's scored in a half this season.
- Watkins' 51 points is the most scored by any Division I women's player this season.
- She is the first D1 freshman to score 50 in a game since Delaware's Elena Della Donne had 54 on Feb. 18, 2010.
- She is the first player in the last 25 seasons per ESPN Stats & Info to score 50 vs. an AP top-5 team.
- She is also the first Pac-12 player to score more than 40 points in a game this season.
- Watkins' six 3-pointers made tonight ties her career high.
- Watkins' 17 free throws made and 19 attempted both were new career highs.
- With two 3-pointers made tonight, GS McKenzie Forbes has hit at least one three in the past 17 games.
- USC's win over Stanford marked its first victory at Maples Pavilion since the 2000-01 season.
- USC has now beaten three top-10 opponents this season.
- This is the first time since 1985-86 that USC has beaten three top-10 teams, and the last time it has beaten two top-5 teams in one season.
- USC held Stanford to a season-low 31.6 percent from the floor and a season-low 58 points.
- USC snapped Stanford's 27-game conference home win streak.
ASSOCIATED PRESS RECAP
By Janie McCauley
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Freshman JuJu Watkins scored a Southern California-record 51 points - the most in NCAA women's basketball this season - and the 15th-ranked Trojans upset No. 4 Stanford 67-58 on Friday night.
Watkins hit a key 3 with 3:10 remaining and four free throws over the final 18 seconds to break the previous USC scoring mark of 50 set by Cherie Nelson against California on March 11, 1989. Watkins hit six 3-pointers to help the Trojans (15-4, 5-4) send the Cardinal (19-3, 8-2) to their first home loss of the season.
Watkins had 25 by halftime and finished 14 for 26 from the floor. Her 3 with 5:52 left in the third put her at 37 and USC ahead 43-35 - giving her more points than Stanford had total. Watkins came in averaging 25.8 points and Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer turned to freshman Courtney Ogden to try stopping her.
Stanford star Cameron Brink had 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots - swatting six shots in the first half. Her layup with 5:36 left pulled Stanford within six and she converted two free throws at 4:02 that made it 54-50 before Watkins took over once more.
And what a thrilling way for these two teams to begin the final weekend of the L.A. schools coming to the Bay Area for Pac-12 play before their move to the Big Ten. USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb returns to Berkeley on Sunday to face her former Cal program.
Kiki Iriafen contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinal, who lost for the first time in five games since a 71-59 defeat at Colorado on Jan. 14.
McKenzie Forbes added 12 points for USC, which had lost three of four since beating UCLA on Jan. 14.
USC missed six straight shots and had a scoring drought of 4:31 before Watkins' late 3 that was reviewed and stood. The Trojans went on a 6-0 run late in the third as Stanford looked rushed and out of sorts during a 1-for-8 shooting stretch.
Both teams endured long scoring droughts.
USC went 5 minutes, 44 seconds between baskets in the first quarter - missing nine straight shots during a 1-for-11 stretch before Watkins connected on a jumper with 2:14 left in the opening period.
Watkins got on a roll from there, scoring 25 of her team's first 31 points and shooting 9 for 13 after starting 1 for 5.
Stanford missed its final five shots of the first half spanning the closing 4 minutes and committed three turnovers for a 31-all tie at intermission as USC finished on a 6-0 burst.
BIG PICTURE
USC: Watkins outscored Stanford herself in the third quarter, 15-11. ... The Trojans had lost the previous 19 meetings on Stanford's home floor in Maples Pavilion dating to a 62-59 victory on March 1, 2001.
Stanford: Dating to 1999-2000, the most points one player had scored against Stanford was Kelsey Plum's 44 for Washington on Jan. 29, 2017, but Stanford rallied back from 18 points to win 72-68 in Seattle. ... This marked only the third time Stanford faced a ranked USC team since 1995-96, and first time with the Trojans in the top 15 since Stanford's 80-50 home win against No. 6 USC on Feb. 24, 1994.
UP NEXT
USC: At California on Sunday.
Stanford: Hosts No. 7 UCLA on Sunday.
--- AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
