Juju Watkins hits Paige Bueckers in USC’s win over UConn

An action-packed sports Saturday of professional and collegiate events saw a primetime women’s basketball showdown between Paige Bueckers of the UConn Huskies and Juju Watkins of the USC Trojans.

Each team entered the matchup with 10-1 records and top-10 rankings to start the season. Both programs did not disappoint in front of a sold-out audience at the Harry A. Gampell Pavillion.

Watkins posted a game-high point total on 56% shooting and relied on help from forward Kiki Iriafen to help the seventh-seeded Trojans to a 72-70 road win over the fourth-seeded UConn Huskies.

Iriafen scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and delivered a team-high six assists as the team’s second offensive option. She and Watkins went head-to-head against the Huskies’ own guard/big duo in Bueckers and freshman sensation Sarah Strong.

Bueckers scored 22 points but shot 9 of 22 from the field. Strong scored 22 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, had five assists and collected four steals.

Strong was fouled by Watkins beyond the three-point line with five seconds left and the Huskies trailed 72-69. The underclassmen made the first free throw, then missed the second and intentionally missed the third in hopes of grabbing another possession.

On the third miss, Bueckers collected the rebound and threw it to Strong, who made a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer that broke the glass. The miss cemented UConn’s first home loss of the season.

Trojans start fast, almost fading before finishing strong.

USC took an early 9-0 lead and saw its lead grow to 51-33 early in the third quarter. Juju scored 19 of her 25 points during that span, coming from mid-range, around the basket and beyond the arc.

From there, UConn went on a 31-14 run and eventually took its first lead of the game at 65-64 thanks to a layup by Sarah Strong in the final four minutes of the game. Watkins’ free throws allowed the Trojans to regain the lead soon after, and the Huskies never got closer than a 67-1 tie after a basket by Bueckers with 2:24 seconds left.

Paige vs Juju showdown

In the duel between Watkins and Bueckers, both played their defensive duties against each other throughout the evening. Every time they made a shot or decided to drive toward the basket, both faced a double.

For most of the game, Watkins controlled the pace of the game as USC’s offensive initiator. In the fourth quarter alone, Watkins contributed to 11 of USC’s 17 points, while Bueckers assisted on just 7 of the Huskies’ 21 points in the final frame.

The Trojans will continue Big 10 conference play on Sunday, December 29th with a home game against the Michigan Wolverines. Meanwhile, the Huskies return to the Big East with a home game against the Providence Friars on the same day.