"Thought JuJu Watkins was better than Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark": Hoops fans react to Iowa taking down USC with Hawkeyes icon in attendance

JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans had their 15-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, losing 76-69 to the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They had no answer for Lucy Olsen, who put on a show in front of Iowa legend Caitlin Clark.

Olsen scored 28 points for the Hawkeyes, who retired Clark's iconic jersey number 22 in a ceremony after the game. She shot 10-for-18 from the field and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. Addison O'Grady supported Olsen on the offensive end with 13 points.

College hoops fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to USC's upset defeat.

"Thought JuJu was better than Paige and Caitlin?" one fan asked.

"And they said Juju Watkins was going to be the next Caitlin Clark," one fan chimed in.

"Juju scared by the ghost of CC," one fan claimed.

Here are some other reactions.

"lol. But juju is better than Clark. lol. She can’t even beat Iowa without Clark. lol," one fan shared.

"We aren't losing on CC Day," one fan tweeted.

"That won’t no stun. That was a STATEMENT WIN," one fan posted.

JuJu Watkins led USC on the road, scoring 27 points in a losing effort. She also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals. She shot 8-for-22 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. Watkins, who played the entire 40 minutes, struggled with her outside shooting, missing six of her seven 3-point attempts.

Iowa starts and finishes strong against JuJu Watkins' USC on Caitlin Clark jersey retirement day

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was rocking with Caitlin Clark in attendance for her jersey retirement day. The Iowa Hawkeyes fed off that energy, stunning the fourth-ranked USC Trojans with a fast start in the opening quarter. They outscored USC 18-4 during that period, much to the delight of Clark and the home fans.

Former Iowa Hawkeyes player Caitlin Clark reacts with former coaches and current Hawkeye players after the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against the USC Trojans. Photo: Imagn

JuJu Watkins and USC answered right back, though. They turned the tables in the second quarter, outscoring Iowa 25-10 to grab a slim 29-28 lead at the break. The Trojans extended their lead in the third quarter, grabbing a 50-45 advantage with 2:09 remaining in that period.

The Hawkeyes regained the lead before the fourth quarter, finishing the third period on a 6-0 run capped by Lucy Olsen's buzzer-beating jumper. Olsen and Addison O'Grady took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 of Iowa's 25 points to seal the victory for the Hawkeyes.