The Texas A&M Corpus-Christi Islanders were barely a threat to JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans during the Pac-12 squad's 87-55 win in the first round of March Madness on Saturday.

Right from the get-go, it was clear how big of a gap there was in terms of quality and overall talent between Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and USC, as the Trojans finished the first quarter of the contest with 21 points while holding the Islanders to just four points.

JuJu Watkins and the Trojans took care of business in the first round

Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles the ball against the Stanford Cardinal in the second half of the Pac-12 Tournament women's championship game at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M Corpus-Christi buried the first bucket of the game, but then was held scoreless until they bought a basket again just as time expired in the opening period. What happened in between those field goals was Watkins and the Trojans putting on a show and doing what No. 1 seeds were always expected to do in the first round against lowly opponents.

The Islanders woke up a little in the second quarter when they outscored USC, 16-15, which can be considered a success for Texas A&M Corpus-Christi given how the outcome of the game. In the third quarter, the Watkins and the Trojans flexed their muscles anew by dropping 35 points and limiting Texas A&M Corpus-Christi to just 21 points.

Watkins finished the game with 23 points along with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks, while making eight of her 18 attempts from the floor and going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. She was especially inefficient from behind the arc, knocking down only one of the six 3-point attempts she took during the contest, but it was just par for the course for the Trojans star as she entered the game shooting just around 32 percent from the 3-point region on the season.

Watkins could have done more damage in the game and helped the Trojans expand further on their dominance of Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, but her day on the floor ended with over three minutes remaining in regulation with the victory virtually in the bag of USC.

Reactions to JuJu Watkins' performance

Of course, JuJu Watkins is always bound to get plenty of attention on social media from fans and observers every time USC plays, regardless of the result.

It is also worth mentioning that Watkins managed to become the Trojans' new all-time leader in single-season scoring by passing the legendary Cheryl Miller on the list.

“JuJu Watkins is in elite company 🔥 She joins Candace Parker as the only other freshman with 20 points, 4 assists and 4 blocks in an NCAA tournament game over the last 25 seasons,” posted espnW.

“The JuJu Watkins March Madness experience has begun 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨,” posted Tyler DeLuca on X.

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USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb smiling and holding money with JuJu Watkins looking excited

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While on "The Pivot" podcast, Caleb Williams spoke about the experience being at USC at the same time as Bronny James and JuJu Watkins.

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“Congratulations to freshman JuJu Watkins on becoming the all-time single-season leading scorer in #USC history, surpassing the GOAT Cheryl Miller, who is in attendance today,” said @ShotgunSpr.

“Juju Watkins is making her presence felt everywhere in her first NCAA Tournament game,” chimed in @TheHandHShow.

Who is USC's opponent in the second round of 2024 March Madness?

Coming up next for the red-hot Trojans is an intriguing assignment in the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will be meeting the No. 8 seed Kansas Jayhawks. The Big 12 program scored a mild upset in the first round over the No. 9 Michigan Wolverines to the tune of an 81-72 score via overtime.