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This freshman has the Cheryl Miller kiss of approval.
When JuJu Watkins drained a deep three-pointer on the first possession of the fourth quarter to grab her 11th 30-point game, passing Miller’s USC record for 30-point games in a season, the Hall of Famer sitting courtside at Galen Center kissed her fingers. She raised three to the sky.
Watkins poured in 42 points to lead the No. 7 Trojans to an 87-81 win over No. 11 Colorado on Friday. While USC (21-4, 11-4 Pac-12) pushed its winning streak to seven games — the team’s longest conference winning streak in a season since 2005 — Watkins continued her march through the USC record books. She passed Miller for second on the freshman scoring list and scored the most points in Galen Center by a USC men’s or women’s player.
“That’s insane honestly,” Watkins said when told of her latest records. “But of course, it’s Cheryl Miller, so long way to go until I’m in that conversation. I’m just happy to be able to be a part of that Trojan legacy and continue to evolve and grow the game, grow the culture here at SC.”
Graduate transfer McKenzie Forbes added 24 points, seven assists and no turnovers as the Trojans won what coach Lindsay Gottlieb called a “heavyweight fight” that will help decide critical seeding in next month’s conference tournament.
The teams entered the weekend locked in a three-team traffic jam with Oregon State for second in the conference. USC and Colorado (20-6, 10-5) both shot better than 56% from the field. The Trojans built a 13-point lead in the second quarter, but the Buffaloes finished the first-half on a 9-0 run to trail by only four at halftime. The Trojans finally pulled away with a 14-4 streak at the end of the third quarter. Watkins’ triple to open the fourth was the knockout punch.
USC shot 13 for 19 from three-point range, led by Forbes’ five-for-six shooting. The Harvard transfer splashed four three-pointers during the first half, including a three in transition that put the Trojans up by 10 with 3:45 remaining in the second quarter.
Forbes pounded her chest in Miller’s direction. USC’s all-time leading scorer rose to her feet, locked eyes with Forbes and slapped her chest twice.
“To celebrate with her, it’s just the SC legacy,” Forbes said. “I’m just super grateful to be a part of this program at this point in time.”
Miller has been a regular courtside observer during USC’s resurgent season. NBA Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood, former NBA player Matt Barnes and WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally were among those who shared the row of courtside seats Friday as the crowd of 5,762 was USC’s second-largest home attendance of the season.
USC guard JuJu Watkins tries to hang on to the ball during a win over Colorado on Friday.
(Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With Watkins helping the Trojans return to the national conversation for the first time in decades, USC has hosted rappers, actors and the brightest pro stars at games. But Gottlieb called the engagement from the program’s alumni like Miller, Tina Thompson and Lisa Leslie “the most rewarding thing.”
“The attention that JuJu has gotten, to me and to the team, actually shines a light on Cheryl in a way that it should be, right?” Gottlieb said. “She’s breaking these records and we get to say, ‘Hey, by the way, Cheryl is the greatest of all time.’ … It’s not just Cheryl, but the women who are the ones who played here, they’re not just great USC players, they’re the greatest women’s basketball players of all time.”
Sitting courtside in a green flannel shirt, Miller leaned forward intently during play, resting her chin in her hand as she studied the action. She hugged each USC player after the game as the team made its way through the front row of fans for high-fives and selfies. Miller grabbed Watkins for an extra moment in a strong, two-handed embrace.
With 675 points, Watkins is eight shy of tying Paula McGee’s freshman scoring record. She’s just 139 away from Miller’s program record of 814.
The freshman is on pace to take Miller’s mark in five more games.
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