JuJu Watkins Stats Tonight: How many points did the USC Trojans star amass against Notre Dame? (November 23)

USC guard JuJu Watkins scored 24 points on 10-of-25 shooting but her efforts were in vain as the No. 3 Trojans succumbed to a 74-61 loss to No. 6 Notre Dame on Saturday at the Galen Center.

Watkins, who also tallied six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in 39 minutes, missed all her five 3-point attempts and the Trojans backfired from long range, despite a majority pro-USC crowd cheering in the stands.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore struggled in the first quarter, producing only two points, on 1 of 8 shooting from the field. Her struggle affected USC's attack in the first period as Notre Dame surged to a 20-10 lead.

Watkins had two rebounds and three assists but coughed up two errors which compounded the Trojans' misery in the opening quarter.

She continued her struggle in the second period, scoring three points that kept USC down by seven at the break. Watkins buried a jump shot and a free throw to end the first half with five points, six rebounds, four assists and one block.

The sophomore guard finally came to life in the third quarter, scoring 11 of USC's 17 points. Despite her late efforts, Notre Dame retaliated and retained its seven-point edge as the teams approached the payoff period.

JuJu Watkins tried to carry USC on her shoulders in the fourth quarter, but she was well-guarded and missed her first two attempts. This coincided with the Fighting Irish's 16-2 surge, giving the visitors a 68-47 advantage.

Watkins scored eight points on layups late in the game when it was already decided. Here are her stats in USC's loss to Notre Dame.

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
JuJu Watkins	39	24	6	5	2	1	10-25	0-5	4-6	5	3

---

Trojans vs Fighting Irish Game Recap: JuJu Watkins, USC misfire to absorb first loss

USC was firing blanks in the all-important clash against Notre Dame. The Trojans went 24-of-67 from the field for a 35.8% clip — a far cry from its 48.4% shooting in the first four games.

Worse, the Big Ten member misfired from deep, making 1-of-13 from the 3-point line. The Trojans were 29.1% from outside the perimeter in the past four games and the 7.7% clip was a season-low.

The Fighting Irish exposed the Trojans' inability to shoot consistently from way downtown. This could become an issue moving forward, especially when stronger intra-conference foes clamp down on the inside lane and dare them to shoot from the outside.

The Trojans also had difficulty handling the ball against the Fighting Irish which had one of the best guard combos in the nation in Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. Notre Dame took advantage of USC's ballhandling issues, recording 17 steals.

Fortunately, the Trojans still have time to work on their weaknesses and prove they are among the year's best teams. USC hopes to bounce back on Wednesday as it faces Seton Hall in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Springs, California.

---

What do you think about JuJu Watkins' performance against Notre Dame? Let us know your views in the comments section below.