The No. 6 Women of Troy led by freshman sensation JuJu Watkins dominated the visiting University of California Riverside Highlanders 85-53 in front of basketball royalty Lebron James and packed Galen Center who stayed after the Men’s upset loss to Long Beach State.
James, who was coming off of his NBA In-season tournament Title and MVP performance was in attendance for the debut of his son Lebron “Bronny” James Jr. and remained seated to get a courtside view of JuJu Watkins.
“It’s crazy He’s the greatest right now so just to have him come off a dub in Vegas and stay for our game, that’s love,” Watkins said. The whole team appreciates him we’re in constant awe of what he’s able to accomplish every day. Shout out to Lebron. He’s a real one”.
There has been a buzz growing around Southern California and the women’s basketball scene. The Women of Troy, who now stand with a 5-0 record on their home court. All their home wins have come in blowout fashion with JuJu Watkins leading the way dropping 30 in their last three games here at Galen Center.
“Women’s basketball is really hot right now, why not L.A., why not this place?” USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It’s happening faster maybe than I thought because of the way that we play and how magnetic these two and their teammates are. It’s really impressive to see a crowd like this, I can’t wait to see what it’ll be like for Pac-12 games.”
Watkins did not disappoint in front of King James and the large crowd she was just three points shy of another 30-point outing with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting with five assists and five steals.
The Trojans(9-0) jumped out to an early 10-0 lead over the Highlanders(4-5) and never trailed throughout the contest in large part to their defense.
The Highlanders shot an underwhelming 24% on 6 of 25 attempts from the floor and were 2-8 from deep range in the first half.
The Trojans went 20-32 from the field for 62% and shot 7-12 from the three-point line for 58%.
Watkins led all scorers at halftime with 12 points on 5-of-6 field goals 2-of-3 from behind the arc and helped the Trojans take a commanding 32-point lead.
In the third period, Riverside tied USC for points in a quarter with 20 but fell behind by as many as 39 with 3:56 to go.
The Highlanders were led by Jordan Webster with 20 points, including five 3-pointers on 5-of-9 attempts.
Rayah Marshall notched her 5th double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, both teams scored 17 points in the period and shot the ball around 45% from the field.
Next USC women prepare to take on Cal State Fullerton on Monday, December 18th at home at the Galen Center.
