Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Chris Mora
USC’s JuJu Watkins Picks Up National, Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Weekly Awards
February 05, 2024 | Women's Basketball
She’s the Naismith Trophy, ESPN and Pac-12 Player of the Week, and she has her 11th Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selection.
After pouring out 80 points in the USC women's basketball team's road sweep of Stanford and Cal, JuJu Watkins has added even more awards to her freshman season honors list. Her USC-record 51 points scored at No. 4 Stanford was the most by any player in the nation this season, and the most ever surrendered by the Cardinal. She'd coolly score 29 two days later to help beat the Golden Bears. For her eye-popping efforts with the Women of Troy, Watkins has been named the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week, ESPN's Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Player of the Week. She's also picked up her 11th selection as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. UPDATE: On Feb. 6, Watkins picked up another round of national honors, selected as a USWBA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Week for the first time and as the Associated Press Player of the Week for the second time this season. She and Iowa's Caitlin Clark are the only players to win the AP honor more than once this season.
Watkins not only has blasted past the previous Pac-12 record for Freshman of the Week selections, she now stands as the only player to sweep the Player and Freshman awards more than once in a season. Her historic season is still underway with the 16-4 Trojans, who are now ranked back in the Associated Press top 10, standing at No. 10 in the nation this week. Here's a look at some of Watkins' impactful work with USC last week:
- USC's win at No. 4 Stanford and victory at Cal marked the Trojans' first winning road trip through the Bay Area schools since the 2000-01 season.
- With her 51 points at Stanford, 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' 51 points is the most scored by any Division I women's player this season.
- 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 at Stanford, Watkins recorded her fourth double-double.
- Watkins' 25 first-half points at Stanford marked the most she's scored in a half this season.
- Her 51 points is the second most every scored by a Pac-12 player in a single game.
- She's the first player to score 50 points against a top-5 opponent in the last 25 seasons.
- She is also the first Pac-12 player to score more than 40 points in a game this season.
- 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.
- 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.
- With a game-high 29 points vs. Cal, Watkins has now led USC in scoring in 18 of the 19 games she's played.
- Also at Cal, Watkins was perfect from the free-throw line (3-for-3) for the eighth time this season.
- USC's comeback from a 13-point deficit at Cal marked its biggest winning comeback effort this season.
- USC's win also marked the first time the Trojans have come back to win after trailing entering the fourth quarter.
Watkins and the Women of Troy are back at Galen Center this week to host the Arizona schools. USC first faces the Sun Devils at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 9) before a Monday (Feb. 12) meeting with the Wildcats at 6 p.m.
Watkins not only has blasted past the previous Pac-12 record for Freshman of the Week selections, she now stands as the only player to sweep the Player and Freshman awards more than once in a season. Her historic season is still underway with the 16-4 Trojans, who are now ranked back in the Associated Press top 10, standing at No. 10 in the nation this week. Here's a look at some of Watkins' impactful work with USC last week:
- USC's win at No. 4 Stanford and victory at Cal marked the Trojans' first winning road trip through the Bay Area schools since the 2000-01 season.
- With her 51 points at Stanford, 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' 51 points is the most scored by any Division I women's player this season.
- 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 at Stanford, Watkins recorded her fourth double-double.
- Watkins' 25 first-half points at Stanford marked the most she's scored in a half this season.
- Her 51 points is the second most every scored by a Pac-12 player in a single game.
- She's the first player to score 50 points against a top-5 opponent in the last 25 seasons.
- She is also the first Pac-12 player to score more than 40 points in a game this season.
- 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.
- 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.
- With a game-high 29 points vs. Cal, Watkins has now led USC in scoring in 18 of the 19 games she's played.
- Also at Cal, Watkins was perfect from the free-throw line (3-for-3) for the eighth time this season.
- USC's comeback from a 13-point deficit at Cal marked its biggest winning comeback effort this season.
- USC's win also marked the first time the Trojans have come back to win after trailing entering the fourth quarter.
Watkins and the Women of Troy are back at Galen Center this week to host the Arizona schools. USC first faces the Sun Devils at 7 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 9) before a Monday (Feb. 12) meeting with the Wildcats at 6 p.m.
USC WBB Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb | Preseason Media Availability 10/30
Thursday, October 30
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
