Juju Watkins — the University of Southern California's sensational freshman — produced a record-breaking performance on Friday, as her Trojans basketball team upset the fourth-ranked Stanford squad by a score of 67-58.
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Watkins finished the game with 51 points; setting both a USC program record, and producing a new mark for the most points scored by any Division 1 basketball player this season.
51.
A new program record.
The most points by a D1 player this season.
Did we mention she’s a freshman? pic.twitter.com/xqdOpKSfk3
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) February 3, 2024
What was perhaps most impressive about Watkins' remarkable performance — which included six 3-pointers, 17 of 19 free throws converted, and 11 rebounds — how was versatile her scoring was.
In addition to draining long-range, contested three-pointers, Watkins was also more than willing to attack the paint and get herself to the foul-line. Her well-rounded scoring ability is largely how she managed to out-score Stanford's entire team during the third quarter.
The freshman star's evening eclipsed the previous USC scoring mark of 50, which was set by Cherie Nelson against California in 1989. USC's previous freshman record was set by legend Cheryl Miller, who scored 39 points in a game during her time as a Trojan. Miller was also the first woman to dunk a basketball in a college game, and remains USC's all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and steals leader.
While Watkins appears poised to challenge for Miller's scoring record in the future, she doesn't consider herself one of the Trojan greats quite yet.
After the upset win, Watkins was asked what it's like to have her name in the record books alongside Miller, Lisa Leslie, and other USC legends; to which Watkins said, "It's crazy. I don't really think about it too much. I have a long way to go 'til I will consider myself in that category with Cheryl [Miller] and Lisa [Leslie] and the greats. I'm just honored, honestly, blessed to be in this environment, space and time in women's basketball. I'm just soaking it all in."
It's true that Watkins hasn't quite cemented her spot among USC's all-time greats. Yet, if she can continue her career's current trajectory — and perhaps carry her 15th-ranked USC team to postseason glory, either this year or in the coming seasons — Watkins' legacy will become undeniable.
