Well, the Trojans are on fire! Sitting pretty at 5-0 in conference play and boasting a 15-1 overall record, JuJu Watkins and the USC women are proving they’re not just contenders, they’re one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Until this game, the Maryland Terrapins had been riding high on an undefeated streak. But USC came into College Park, played their hearts out, and left Maryland with a 79-72 loss.

It wasn’t easy, though. Even Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers admitted that her team had one major goal- to make things tough for JuJu Watkins. “People forget that I’m a two-way player… we just wanted to make her night tough, and we did that,” said Sellers.

And she wasn’t wrong. The sophomore star had a rough shooting night, going just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc and racking up eight turnovers. On top of that, she fouled out late in the game. But despite all that, she made up for it by dropping 21 points and pulling down nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, when asked what the win means for JuJu herself, she said, “Yeah, it’s been a really long trip for us coming off Rutgers [their last matchup was with Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena]. We’ve been on the East Coast now for like four days, it’s freezing. So yeah, it took a lot of mental and emotional and physical durability.”

“We knew Maryland is such a great team. So we came in here and gave it our all. It was a tough one, and we battled it out,” she added.

And they did battle after a rocky start, managing just one free throw in the first two minutes before the guard finally got on the board. Meanwhile, Maryland surged ahead, building a 16-7 lead with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. But then USC’s freshman Kayleigh Heckel stepped up big time in the last three minutes of the quarter.

 By the end of the first, the Trojans had clawed their way back to a 20-18 deficit. In the second quarter, USC started to find its rhythm. Watkins hit a three-pointer to give the Trojans their first lead at 27-26, and Kiki Iriafen followed with two free throws. By halftime, USC was up 35-34.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter, and Maryland was up 68-61 with just over five minutes left. Things looked dicey for USC, especially after Watkins picked up her fourth foul. But Kennedy Smith came through in the clutch to tie the game at 68-68. From there, USC took over.

Watkins and Iriafen finished with 21 points, while freshmen Heckel, Howell, and Smith each scored in double digits. Now, they head back home for two Big Ten games on home turf.

And while USC’s #12 continues to light up college courts, she is already a part of a pro league and on their radar years before the WNBA calling.

Unrivaled already set Its sights on JuJu Watkins

While the hooper isn’t going to light up courts for the new 3*3 league just yet, she is already a big part of it as the youngest investor. Alex Bazzell, Unrivaled’s president, explained their vision on the Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast. “We’re really focusing on Paige [Bueckers], Flau’Jae [Johnson], and obviously JuJu,” he said.

The Unrivaled president added, “JuJu’s a little further out, but we want to be a place where any college star with aspirations of eventually making it to the WNBA can be.” He emphasized the importance of involving these players early, not just as athletes but as part of the league’s ownership and marketing efforts.

“It was important for us to have a touchpoint early to work on marketing deals and NIL deals, even bring them into the player ownership group,” Bazzell added. “We want these players to feel like they’re a part of this from day one.”

While JuJu’s on-court debut in Unrivaled may be a ways off, there’s no denying her influence is already being felt. In just her sophomore year, she has become a household name. And we all can’t wait to see what she’ll do next—whether it’s dominating in college hoops, making her mark in Unrivaled, or lighting up the WNBA in the coming years.