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JuJu Watkins and No. 4 USC women's basketball completed a successful two-game East Coast trip, capped by a 79-74 win over No. 8 Maryland on Wednesday night, handing the Terrapins their first loss of the season. The win followed USC’s 92-42 rout of Rutgers on Sunday, with Watkins playing a key role in both games.
Against Maryland, Watkins scored 21 points, though she struggled from the field, shooting 7-for-19 and committing eight turnovers. Despite her uneven performance, the freshman star credited the team’s confidence in the final moments as USC outscored Maryland 18-6 to close the game.
“We just kind of have this unwavering confidence in ourselves,” Watkins said, as reported by Noah Trister of The Associated Press. “It was just a matter of coming together and closing the game out.”
Watkins’ contributions came after she helped lead the Trojans to their 50-point blowout win over Rutgers earlier in the week. That game saw USC dominate on both ends of the floor, handing Rutgers the worst home loss in program history.
USC's Kiki Iriafen also records 21 points in win vs. Maryland
Coach Lindsay Gottlieb reflected on the challenges of USC’s first season in the Big Ten, particularly adjusting to the demanding travel schedule compared to their previous conference.
“The Pac-12 was two games in a weekend, Friday to Sunday, and everyone’s doing the same thing,” Gottlieb said. “Now we’re like, ‘Wait, who’s playing who when?’ It’s really different for us, and so as coaches, we’re trying to process all that and keep things as normalized for the team as possible.”
The Trojans have already logged several miles this season, including a trip to Paris for a win over Ole Miss in November and a victory at UConn last month. This week’s trip included the team’s first game against Maryland since 1995, played in front of a crowd of 14,735.
“We’ve been on the East Coast now for like four days,” Watkins said. “It’s freezing.”
Gottlieb emphasized the positives of playing on a larger stage.
“It’s just platforms for them that we have never had before, and that’s a really positive thing,” she said. “We’ll go anywhere and play. I think our players have proven that.”
USC improved to 15-1 overall with the win at Maryland.
