JuJu Watkins’ USC play vs Penn State in LA with crowd of over 5,000 amid scary wildfires

Geoff
JuJu Watkins’ USC played against Penn State in LA on Sunday with a crowd of more than 5,000 people despite the scary wildfires in the city (Image Source: IMAGN)
JuJu Watkins’ USC played against Penn State in LA on Sunday with a crowd of more than 5,000 people despite the scary wildfires in the city (Image Source: IMAGN)

JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans played against Penn State in the Galen Center on Sunday night in front of more than 5,000 fans.

The game was the first sports event, professional or college, held in Los Angeles since Tuesday with over 5,000 people in attendance (per Sporting Tribune's Arash Markaz).

The Big 10 showdown was played despite the ongoing wildfires in the city with 24 people reportedly dead and more said to be missing. The Trojans won the game 95-73 amid a sizzling 35-point effort from the 6-foot-2 Juju Watkins, who shot 13-of-15, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line, and 7-of-9 free throws.

The sophomore star finished with 11 rebounds, three assists, five steals and three blocks in 32 minutes as the No. 4-ranked Trojans raced to a 56-31 lead at the half and never looked back.

Kiki Iriafen posted 28 points, on 12 of 18 shooting, and added four rebounds, four assists and two steals for USC, which moved to the top of the Big 10 Conference standings at 6-0 and 16-1 overall.

The Trojans lead idle No. 1 UCLA and No. 9 Ohio State by half a game. The Bruins and the Buckeyes are 5-0 and 16-0 overall. Talayah Walker led Penn State (9-8, 0-6) with 18 points, while Gabby Eliott added 14.


Former USC record scorer visits JuJu Watkins, Trojans in locker room

JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans were visited by Cherie Nelson, the team's scoring machine, who held the program record for several years with 50 points before Watkins posted 51 against Stanford on Feb. 2, 2024.

Nelson and her 90-year-old mother, whose house was destroyed in the wildfires, went to the locker room to visit the Trojaans.

“Dealing with that, it was probably up in the air if they were going to come and her mom said, ‘No, I want to go see the USC women’s team play,” Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

The Nelson family was among the 5,881 people in attendance at the Galen Center in the first sporting events in Los Angeles since the wildfires began. Celebrity Vivica A. Fox was also present in the gym to cheer for the Trojans.

Gottlieb said that she took it as an opportunity to give happiness to people affected by the tragedy and told her team to put on a show and entertain the people during the game.

JuJu Watkins expressed sympathy to the victims and their families, while teammate Kiki Iriafen noted that the team sent donations and prayed for the safety of the people.

“We’re very blessed to come here today and play basketball. If we can put a smile on people’s faces for two hours or give them an escape to kind of get away from everything that’s going on right now. we’re super grateful to do that,” Iriafen said.

USC will be back on the road next week. They will be in Bloomington to face Indiana on Jan. 19. From there, USC heads to Purdue on Jan. 22. Both Big Ten clashes will mark USC's first visits to the Hoosiers and Boilermakers, respectively.

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Edited by Bhargav
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