JuJu Watkins stats today: How did USC star play against Iowa (Feb. 2)

On a banner occasion, JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans lost for just the second time all season, falling 76-69 to Iowa. It was an emotional day at Iowa, as legendary Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark had her jersey retired in a ceremony.

Her unranked former team then delivered a season-altering upset by taking down the Trojans.

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How did JuJu Watkins play against Iowa?

Despite 27 points from JuJu Watkins, USC suffered just its second loss of the season. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Iowa held USC to a miserable four points in the first quarter, a differential that ended up being the key to the game. The Trojans pulled ahead 29-28 at halftime, but a fourth quarter run by Iowa turned out to be the difference in the upset victory.

Sophomore star JuJu Watkins had a team-high 27 points in the loss. She connected on just 8-for-22 shots from the field, including 1-for-7 from 3-point distance, but knocked down 10-of-11 free throw attempts.

Watkins added five rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss. She had four turnovers and only picked up two fouls in playing all 40 minutes against the Hawkeyes.

Here's Watkins's stat line against Iowa:

Player	MIN	FG-FGA	3P-3PA	FT-FTA	OREB/TREB	AST	STL	BLK	PF	TP
Watkins	40	8-22	1-7	10-11	1/5	3	3	0	2	27

Watkins's history

JuJu Watkins climbed to 15th on USC's career scoring list with 1,438 points in 55 career games. She has scored in double digits in each game of the season. Her overall production is slightly down from her historic freshman season last year, as she's just 170 points out of the USC all-time scoring top 10.

Watkins is averaging 24.7 points per game, down from 27.1 points per game. She is playing slightly less minutes (34.2 minutes per game, down from 34.6 minutes per game). While her shooting touch is more accurate (44.2% this year, up from 40.1% last year), she is taking fewer shots this season.

She's also slightly raised her 3-point percentage (up to 33.1% this year from 31.9% a season ago), but her free throw percentage is down slightly (83.8% this year after 85.2% a year ago).

Watkins's team

The Trojans, despite the upset loss, are 19-2 on the season and entered Sunday's game ranked No. 4 in the nation. A season ago, Watkins and the Trojans fell in the Elite Eight to UConn. USC hasn't reached a Final Four since 1986.

Coach Lindsey Gottlieb is 81-34 at USC. With a successful postseason run, she could become the second leading coach in USC history, trailing only legendary Linda Sharp's 271 wins and two NCAA Tournament titles.

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