USC’s JuJu Watkins drops 27 points in thrilling opening day win against Ole Miss in Paris

Star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins (#12) led USC with 27 points. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

NCAA women’s basketball is back, and it started off with a bang.

In the first ranked matchup of the season, No. 3 USC staved off a comeback from No. 20 Ole Miss in a 68-66 win for the season opener. The matchup marked the first of two opening day games in Paris as part of the so-called Aflac Oui-Play, with No. 5 UCLA set to take on No. 17 Louisville later on Monday.

USC star sophomore guard JuJu Watkins dropped 27 points in the win, leading off what is sure to be another successful season.

The Trojans got off to a good start, building a lead over the first three quarters and going up by as many as 15 points. But Ole Miss didn’t let up, closing the gap and finally taking the lead with five minutes remaining.

With less than 30 seconds left in the game, USC guard Talia von Oelhoffen hit a contested layup that just popped out, but was awarded a foul and hit two free throws to tie things up at 66-all.

USC forward and recent transfer Kiki Iriafen got a big steal off an Ole Miss inbound to give the Trojans a opportunity to go ahead. Von Oehlhoffen missed a three-pointer off that possession, but a foul on Iriafen gave USC a chance to take the lead with free throws. Iriafen hit both, with USC up 68-66 with under 10 seconds remaining. USC was kept Ole Miss from getting a shot off before the clock wound to zero, holding off the Rebels and getting a big win to start the season.

It was a good showing overall from USC, with the team shooting 40% from the floor. However, there are still things to pay attention to as heading into the rest of the season: The Trojans had a whopping 26 turnovers, with Ole Miss scoring 18 points off of those mistakes, and was only 1-11 on three-pointers.

Watkins, despite a bloody nose and an early technical foul, finished strong for USC, chipping in 10 rebounds and five blocks on top of her 27 points. Iriafen, who transferred to USC after a standout season at…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-04 19:25:00

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