USC Freshman JuJu Watkins’ Monstrosity Might Wipe Off Caitlin Clark’s College Basketball Glory

JuJu Watkins is becoming a beacon of brilliance when some celebrated college stars are fading and facing flak this season. The rookie looks in a beast mode while taking on the Caitlin Clark’s legacy. For polishing this gem, Phil Handy and Arike Ogunbowale are being hailed for their coaching acumen.

JuJu’s advent is a quintessential jump. Every year, greenhorns rise to glory in the college basketball circuit. Their slog, struggle and smartness keep the game young and happening. In transition to that, the spotlight has now shifted from Caitlin Clark to JuJu Watkins.

Brutal moves by JuJu Watkins

This Wednesday night turned monumental for USC as jersey No. 8 spread all that was there in the closet. Pulling a half-court buzzer-beater, JuJu Watkins led USC to a close 71-70 win over Penn State’s Lady Lions at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship held in Nassau, Bahamas.

This season, it was Penn State’s first matchup against a ranked opponent. The Lions’ Shay Ciezki proved to be a dominant force with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, and they kept the initial lead of 4-0. In response, the Trojans spearheaded a layup, followed by a 3-point shot by Kayla Padilla switching the Trojans back in the lead.

Then, the lead kept bouncing back and forth as a result of back-to-back layups by Penn State’s Taylor Valladay and USC’s JuJu Watkins. The Lions were finding it difficult to put themselves ahead. And meanwhile, JuJu sent the Trojans to a 14-12 lead just by hitting free throws. The fourth quarter was initially led by the Trojans, however, the Lions scored 14 points contributed by 5 different players taking the lead again at 68-64. Just then JuJu made a 3-point shot taking the lead, ending her 6-and-a-half-minute drought of 7 consecutive blanks and a failed layup.

Moreover, JuJu shot 13 points and 9 boards on the break, along with a half-court buzzer-beater with a 35-34 lead. In the third quarter, she hit 11 more points, including 7 from the foul line gaining a 59-54 lead in the fourth. Scoring the last 7 points of the game, JuJu made it difficult for the Lions to cover the last mile.

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But, there were many things catching the observation.

The takeaways

This was a wildly physical match, with players laying elbows, screaming with their guts out, and doing all that intensely. All this physicality bore a resemblance with an NCAA Tournament, as fans were yelling and the tension was huge in the crowd. Their fierce play led the teams to fight constantly to become the toughest of all.

As a close score match, Penn State demonstrated tremendous defense to counter USC’s freshman JuJu Watkins. She was the only player who scored for USC in the fourth quarter, making her an unstoppable force who guaranteed USC’s win.

As for this one, JuJu proved why USC is a ranked team.

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What are your thoughts on USC’s unfolding beast JuJu? Tell us in the comments.