USC freshman JuJu Watkins scored 51 points Friday night. She did it against No. 4 Stanford, on the road, in a 67-58 victory that halted the No. 15 Trojans’ recent slide.
The brightest star in a constellation of first-year players dominating women’s basketball this season, Watkins dazzled at Maples Pavilion. She withstood a tough comeback attempt from Stanford, a team led by Cameron Brink, the senior center and 2021 national champion who had 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
Watkins’ performance was so astounding, we can’t hope to capture it with words. But these numbers should help:
51 points: A new USC record, breaking the 50-point mark set by Cherie Nelson in 1989. Keep in mind, this is the program of Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie. And now of JuJu Watkins.
25 of 31: Watkins had all but six of her team’s first-half points, as the score was tied at 31 through two quarters.
14-for-26: Watkins did a lot of her work at the line, where she made 17 free throws, but don’t ignore the efficiency from the field. While she shot 53.8 percent from the field, her teammates combined to register seven makes on 38 attempts (18.4 percent).
5 assists: No, that’s not Watkins’ total. That’s USC’s…
