USC Star JuJu Watkins Powers Through Injury Scare In A Stunning Performance vs UCLA

The University of Southern California Lady Trojans hammered the UCLA Bruins by a decent margin of 73-65 at the Galen Center on Sunday. The much-anticipated match was an important clash between the two ranked teams that concluded by ending the Bruins’ winning streak in the NCAA season. However, there was one particular incident that scared the fans initially when they saw it in the game.

Their favorite Trojans star JuJu Watkins was lying on the ground, surrounded by her teammates with cramping legs. This sure was a cause of concern for the fans.

What happened to JuJu Watkins?

As per ESPN, Watkins was lying on the floor after the final buzzer as she experienced some cramps. This, however, didn’t play a spoilsport to their victory as the freshman was attended to by a USC trainer. The trainer rubbed down on Watkins’ legs with a handheld massage gun. The star of the night could be seen laughing and talking to her teammates who had surrounded her.

This indicated that there was nothing serious. As per sports reporter Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Watkins got the mic when lying down and yelled a resilient cry of “FIGHT ON!!!!!!”. A little afterward their head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told the crowd that Watkins was fine.

The USC star went on a game-high 32 points rampage against the UCLA Bruins that helped the former notch up a win against the No. 2 ranked team. Notably, it was the Bruins’s first defeat after a sensational 14-winning game streak in this season’s NCAA. Watkins not only displayed a spectacular game in offense but also in defense as she nabbed 10 rebounds. Thus, she smoked her third double-double this season. 

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The Trojans took an unassailable lead over the Bruins in the first two quarters that had the Bruins trying to cover up in the next two. Though the Bruins won the last two quarters, the Trojans had already inched far away such that it was impossible for the Bruins to cover the trail. Ultimately, the Trojans won by a margin of 73-65. 

How did the other Trojans perform?

Other than JuJu, the Trojans guard Kayla Padilla and McKenzie Forbes played a vital part in their team’s victory potting 13 and 18 points respectively. Though the USC guard Charisma Osborne put one of her best foot forward, smoking 25 points, the UCLA ultimately lost the game. Post this win, the Trojans will battle it out against the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday and hopefully continue their on-song performance.

Fortunately, the injury scare wasn’t serious and Watkins will be playing the next game. She will have to take care of herself as much as she cares for her team’s victory, giving their fans another reason to be hopeful of a dominant performance this season. 

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