JuJu Watkins Stats Tonight: How did USC star fare vs UCLA? (March 9)

JuJu Watkins recorded 29 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals, as No. 2 USC lost to No. 4 UCLA 72-67 in the Big Ten Tournament final on Sunday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The 6-foot-2 guard struggled from the field, shooting 9-of-28 from the field, including 2-of-8 from the 3-point line.

Watkins had a good start putting up eight points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal as USC built a 24-19 lead in the first 10 minutes. She added 10 points, two rebounds and one steal, giving the Trojans a 45-35 advantage at halftime.

The Sierra Canyon standout struggled in the third period, producing only two points, one assist and one steal, as UCLA clamped down on its defense, holding Southern California to nine points and reducing the deficit to 54-52, approaching the fourth period.

Watkins produced nine points, one rebound and one steal in the final quarter. She tried to lift the Trojans to victory, but it wasn't enough as the Bruins ganged up on her, scoring 20 points in the payoff period to secure a five-point win.

Here are JuJu Watkins' final stats in USC's loss to UCLA:

Player	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG	3-PT	FT	TO	PF
JuJu Watkins	40	29	6	2	4	0	9-28	2-8	9-10	5	4

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Trojans vs Bruins Game Recap: UCLA uses second-half spurt to take home the Big Ten Tournament title

Sunday's win was UCLA's first Big Ten Tournament title after joining the conference in 2024. The Bruins fell behind 45-35 in the first half, thanks to the 18-point explosion of USC star JuJu Watkins.

But the Cori Close-coached team regrouped in the second half and utilized its trademark defense to hold the Trojans to 22 points while scoring 37 points en route to the victory and securing an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Lauren Betts led the Bruins' offense with 17 points, making 7-of-10 shots from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks. Londynn Jones and Kiki Rice added 13 points each.

Kiki Iriafen was the other Trojan in double-figures with 10 points as the Stanford transfer shot 4-of-12 from the field. Talia von Oelhoffen added eight points, two assists and two steals, while Avery Howell and Malia Samuels contributed eight and six points, respectively, coming off the bench.

UCLA shot 52.3% from the field, including a scorching hot 53.3% from the 3-point line. They also made 18-of-21 attempts from the free-throw line to complete the victory that exacted its revenge on USC, who won the first two meetings in the regular season.

In contrast, the Trojans made only 34.3% of its field goal attempts, including 8-of-28 from the 3-point line. They also failed to take advantage of UCLA's 24 turnovers, only producing 14 points from their foes' errors.

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What can you say about JuJu Watkins' performance against UCLA? Let us know your views in the comments section below.