JuJu Watkins, No. 9 USC, sends No. 2 UCLA to its first loss of the rematch

LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins lay on the field, surrounded by her teammates, the final buzzer having faded away.

The freshman sensation cramped up after scoring 32 points in ninth place USCThe 73-65 victory over the second place team UCLA. A trainer used a handheld massage gun on Watkins' legs. She couldn't stop smiling and laughing after the anticipation had kept her awake the night before.

“She just always does her best,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

Watkins and the Trojans handed the Bruins their first loss of the season on Sunday, leaving the No. 1 seed behind South Carolina as the only undefeated team in the nation.

“As a team, we were just very focused on defense,” Watkins said. “I benefited from the energy of my teammates. You just want to be a part of it. We played a great game defensively. The whole team did it.”

It was Watkins' sixth 30-point game of the season and the first since Dec. 3 for the Trojans (13-1, 3-1 Pac-12), who extended their home winning streak to 17 games.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” Gottlieb said. “Our preparation and mentality would give us a chance to win the game.”

McKenzie Forbes added 18 points as the Trojans ended a nine-game losing streak against their crosstown rival. UCLA (14-1, 3-1) won 71-64 two weeks ago at Pauley Pavilion before a record crowd of 13,659 in the first meeting of the top 10 teams between schools this season.

“We showed so much of what we were capable of, not just to the fans but to ourselves,” Forbes said.

Charisma Osborne led the Bruins with 25 points, all in the second half before a sellout crowd of 10,258 at the Galen Center. After feeling sick at halftime, the fifth-grader hit a layup late in the third quarter that gave her 2,000 career points. Lauren BettsUCLA's leading scorer and rebounder, was held to 10 after not starting for the first time this season after being sick during the week.

“We just tried to keep fighting and get to the basket,” Osborne said. “We kept giving up buckets and couldn’t get any stops.”

All five of UCLA's starters found themselves in foul trouble London Jones, Kiki rice And Lina Sontag Foul in the fourth.

Watkins scored just 8 of 22 from the field and missed all six of her 3-point attempts, but she made 16 of 16 from the free throw line and had 10 rebounds.

“She's going to score,” said UCLA coach Cori Close, “but we didn't do what we said we would do and we didn't support each other and that's where you get caught.”

Forbes' 3-pointer gave USC a 60-48 lead heading into the fourth.

But the Bruins scored nine straight points, capped by Jones' 3-pointer, to make it 63-59.

Watkins hit a jumper and Taylor Bigby scored a goal for USC. Jones' layup brought the Bruins within five points.

Jones missed a 3-pointer and Angela Dugalic missed a layup in the final 14 seconds.

The Bruins outscored USC 23:17 in the third quarter and got 13 points from Osborne, making the score almost 51:42. Watkins picked up two quick fouls early but scored 10 points.

USC was missing its starting center Rayah Marshall (13 points and 10.5 rebounds) and reserve Aaliyah Gayleswho were both sick.

The Trojans capitalized on runs of 11-0 in the first quarter and 15-0 in the second quarter to lead 34-19 at halftime. Twice Watkins got her own offensive rebound and scored despite defensive pressure in the zone.

Before Watkins went on offense, Harvard transfer Forbes hit back-to-back 3-pointers to fuel the Trojans' first-quarter run.

The Bruins committed 15 turnovers that gave the Trojans 16 points in the first half as UCLA starters Jones, Osborne and Dugalic were held scoreless.

Celebrities in attendance included rapper Chris Brown and USC alum Saweetie, Candace Parker and Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller.