HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – DECEMBER 21: JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans drives to the rim against … [+]
In an action-packed sports Saturday that featured professional and collegiate events, a women’s basketball showdown between UConn Huskies’ Paige Bueckers and USC Trojans’ Juju Watkins took the cake during primetime.
Each team entered the early season matchup with 10-1 records and top-10 rankings. Both programs didn’t disappoint in front of a sold-out crowd at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Watkins scored a game-high 25 points on 56 % shooting and leaned on the assistance of forward Kiki Iriafen to help lead the seventh-ranked Trojans to a 72-70 road victory against the fourth-ranked UConn Huskies.
Iriafen posted 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished a team-high six assists as the team’s second offensive option. Her 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 recorded 22 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, serving five assists and collecting 4 steals.
Strong was fouled beyond the three-point line by Watkins with five seconds left and the Huskies down 72-69. The underclassmen made the first free-throw before missing the second and intentionally whiffing on the third in hopes of stealing one more possession.
On the third miss, Bueckers collected the rebound and kicked it out to Strong who put up a desperation three-point heave at the buzzer that bricked off the glass. The miss solidified UConn’s first home loss of the season.
Trojans’Start Fast, Nearly Fade Before Finishing Strong.
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – DECEMBER 21: JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans is defended by Paige … [+]
USC jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and watched it balloon to eighteen at 51-33 by the early stages of the third quarter. Juju scored 19 of her 25 points during that span and did so from the midrange, around the basket and beyond the arc.
From then on, UConn put together a 32-13 run to eventually take their first lead of the game at 65-64 thanks to a Sarah Strong layup in the game’s final four minutes. Watkins free throws allowed the Trojans to regain the lead soon after, and the Huskies never got closer than a 67-all tie following a Bueckers bucket with 2:24 seconds left.
Paige vs Juju Showdown
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – DECEMBER 21: JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans is defended by Paige … [+]
The matchup between Watkins and Bueckers featured both drawing each other as their primary defensive assignment. Each still faced a double every time they went up for a shot or decided to drive towards the basket.
Most of the night, 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. Bueckers only did so on 7 of the Huskies’ 21 points during the final frame.
The Trojans will resume Big 10 conference play on Sunday, Dec. 29 with a home matchup versus the Michigan Wolverines. Meanwhile, the Huskies return to Big East play with a home showdown against the Providence Friars on the same date.
