Tuesday, November 28
Los Angeles, Calif.
7:00 PM
USC
6-0,0-0Pac-12
85
vs
44
Cal Poly
2-5,0-0Big West
1
2
3
4
F
Cal Poly
10
10
15
9
44
Southern California
23
19
17
26
85
Team Stats
CPO
USC
FG%
.340
.484
3FG%
.333
.407
FT%
.800
.778
RB
33
35
TO
25
9
STL
3
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
30
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
7
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballPhoto by: Drake Lee
JuJu Watkins Nets Another 30-Point Game As No. 6 USC Women’s Basketball Beats Cal Poly 85-44
November 28, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Trojans improve to 6-0 on the year with a powerful performance at Galen Center.
LOS ANGELES — The No. 6 USC women's basketball team put its foot on the gas to close out a decisive 85-44 win over visiting Cal Poly, with freshman JuJu Watkins recording her second straight and a USC freshman-record fourth 30-point game of the season tonight at Galen Center. The Trojans stay perfect on the year with the win, now at 6-0 overall, while Cal Poly goes to 2-5.
USC piled up a 42-20 lead in the first half, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes to outpace Cal Poly's 33.3 percent effort. USC had the edge on the boards 18-17. JuJu Watkins had a packed stat line by halftime, boasting 16 points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block in the books by the break. Cal Poly pushed back a bit in the third, but USC exploded and outscored its guest 26-9 in the fourth frame, finishing out a 48.4 percent overall from the floor to Cal Poly's 34 percent. USC also committed only nine turnovers while forcing 25 out of the Mustangs. The Trojans also won out on the boards 35-33 by the final buzzer.
Watkins, who went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, finished with four assists and five steals to go along with her fourth 30-point game of the season — a USC record for a freshman. McKenzie Forbes was next in line with 14 points, including her 1,000th career point, while Rayah Marshall and Dominique One added 10 points apiece and Clarice Akunwafo hauled in a game-high eight rebounds for the USC cause. Cal Poly was paced by Mary Carter's 11 points and 10 from Sydney Borland.
USC manufactured a 12-0 run on four straight 3-pointers, then buried its fifth in a row to craft a 19-5 lead with 3:40 on the clock in the first. Kayla Padilla, McKenzie Forbes, JuJu Watkins and Malia Samuels all had a hand in landing from beyond the arc, with Watkins draining a pair in that fierce Trojan rally. A late 3-pointer from the Mustangs had the score at 23-10 after 10 minutes of action. Cal Poly carved the deficit to 28-12 before a Watkins feed to Rayah Marshall sparked a 10-0 USC surge capped by a bucket, steal and pair of free throws from Watkins to boost USC ahead 38-16 with four minutes left in the first half. Cal Poly knocked down a couple scores in the next stretch, only to see USC cap off the half with a strike from Dominique Onu followed by Watkins' 16th points of the night to take the Trojans ahead 42-20 at the break.
The Mustangs got some offense going in the third, piecing together a 6-0 run and then a 9-0 rally around a three-point play from Watkins to cut the margin to single digits at 52-33 at 1:30. Marshall delivered at the 1:00 mark for USC, and then Watkins stepped to the stripe for two tosses 40 seconds later. Just before the close of the frame, Forbes nabbed a steal and then launched a buzzer-beater to carry USC ahead 59-33 entering the fourth. The Trojans got some new scorers on the docket in the final frame, with Clarice Akunwafo scoring in the paint and Aaliyah Gayles draining a nice 3-pointer for her first bucket as a Trojan. That trey got USC ahead 84-44 with 2:00 to go. A free throw from Gayles was the final point of the night on either end, as USC wrapped up an 85-44 win for a 13th straight nonconference win at Galen Center.
NEXT:
USC remains in-state for the next eight games, setting up next for a 3 p.m. clash with San Diego on Sunday (Dec. 3) at Galen Center.
NOTABLE:
- USC's No. 6 ranking in the AP poll is its highest national ranking since a No. 4 spot in 1994.
- With a game-high 30 points, FR JuJu Watkins recorded her fourth 30-point game and broke the freshman record held by Lisa Leslie and Paula McGee for most 30-point games in a season.
- Watkins has scored double digits in all six games, with 171 total points to date (26.8 ppg).
- Watkins is the fourth Trojan to record back-to-back 30-point games, following Cheryl Miller, Cherie Nelson and Paula McGee (Miller holds the USC record with three consecutive 30-point outings in 1985).
- GS McKenzie Forbes scored her 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer in the third quarter.
- Forbes recorded a season-high of four 3-pointers made against the Mustangs.
- RS FR Aaliyah Gayles scored her first points as a Trojan with a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
- FR Malia Samuels scored a season-high seven points.
- USC made five 3-pointers in the first quarter — most in a single quarter this season..
- USC committed a season-low nine turnovers and forced a season-high 25 turnovers.
- USC had a season-high free throw percentage of .778 (14-of-18).
- JR Clarice Akunwafo recorded a season-high eight rebounds.
- JR Rayah Marshall recorded a season-high five blocks.
- With 10 points tonight, Marshall has scored double-digits in USC's last seven games (going back to USC's NCAA First Round game last season).
- USC extends its nonconference home winning streak to 13 games.
- With its third straight win over the Mustangs, USC is now 3-0 all-time against Cal Poly in a series dating back to 1975-76.
USC piled up a 42-20 lead in the first half, shooting 42.9 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes to outpace Cal Poly's 33.3 percent effort. USC had the edge on the boards 18-17. JuJu Watkins had a packed stat line by halftime, boasting 16 points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block in the books by the break. Cal Poly pushed back a bit in the third, but USC exploded and outscored its guest 26-9 in the fourth frame, finishing out a 48.4 percent overall from the floor to Cal Poly's 34 percent. USC also committed only nine turnovers while forcing 25 out of the Mustangs. The Trojans also won out on the boards 35-33 by the final buzzer.
Watkins, who went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, finished with four assists and five steals to go along with her fourth 30-point game of the season — a USC record for a freshman. McKenzie Forbes was next in line with 14 points, including her 1,000th career point, while Rayah Marshall and Dominique One added 10 points apiece and Clarice Akunwafo hauled in a game-high eight rebounds for the USC cause. Cal Poly was paced by Mary Carter's 11 points and 10 from Sydney Borland.
USC manufactured a 12-0 run on four straight 3-pointers, then buried its fifth in a row to craft a 19-5 lead with 3:40 on the clock in the first. Kayla Padilla, McKenzie Forbes, JuJu Watkins and Malia Samuels all had a hand in landing from beyond the arc, with Watkins draining a pair in that fierce Trojan rally. A late 3-pointer from the Mustangs had the score at 23-10 after 10 minutes of action. Cal Poly carved the deficit to 28-12 before a Watkins feed to Rayah Marshall sparked a 10-0 USC surge capped by a bucket, steal and pair of free throws from Watkins to boost USC ahead 38-16 with four minutes left in the first half. Cal Poly knocked down a couple scores in the next stretch, only to see USC cap off the half with a strike from Dominique Onu followed by Watkins' 16th points of the night to take the Trojans ahead 42-20 at the break.
The Mustangs got some offense going in the third, piecing together a 6-0 run and then a 9-0 rally around a three-point play from Watkins to cut the margin to single digits at 52-33 at 1:30. Marshall delivered at the 1:00 mark for USC, and then Watkins stepped to the stripe for two tosses 40 seconds later. Just before the close of the frame, Forbes nabbed a steal and then launched a buzzer-beater to carry USC ahead 59-33 entering the fourth. The Trojans got some new scorers on the docket in the final frame, with Clarice Akunwafo scoring in the paint and Aaliyah Gayles draining a nice 3-pointer for her first bucket as a Trojan. That trey got USC ahead 84-44 with 2:00 to go. A free throw from Gayles was the final point of the night on either end, as USC wrapped up an 85-44 win for a 13th straight nonconference win at Galen Center.
NEXT:
USC remains in-state for the next eight games, setting up next for a 3 p.m. clash with San Diego on Sunday (Dec. 3) at Galen Center.
NOTABLE:
- USC's No. 6 ranking in the AP poll is its highest national ranking since a No. 4 spot in 1994.
- With a game-high 30 points, FR JuJu Watkins recorded her fourth 30-point game and broke the freshman record held by Lisa Leslie and Paula McGee for most 30-point games in a season.
- Watkins has scored double digits in all six games, with 171 total points to date (26.8 ppg).
- Watkins is the fourth Trojan to record back-to-back 30-point games, following Cheryl Miller, Cherie Nelson and Paula McGee (Miller holds the USC record with three consecutive 30-point outings in 1985).
- GS McKenzie Forbes scored her 1,000th career point with a 3-pointer in the third quarter.
- Forbes recorded a season-high of four 3-pointers made against the Mustangs.
- RS FR Aaliyah Gayles scored her first points as a Trojan with a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
- FR Malia Samuels scored a season-high seven points.
- USC made five 3-pointers in the first quarter — most in a single quarter this season..
- USC committed a season-low nine turnovers and forced a season-high 25 turnovers.
- USC had a season-high free throw percentage of .778 (14-of-18).
- JR Clarice Akunwafo recorded a season-high eight rebounds.
- JR Rayah Marshall recorded a season-high five blocks.
- With 10 points tonight, Marshall has scored double-digits in USC's last seven games (going back to USC's NCAA First Round game last season).
- USC extends its nonconference home winning streak to 13 games.
- With its third straight win over the Mustangs, USC is now 3-0 all-time against Cal Poly in a series dating back to 1975-76.
Women's Basketball Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb Media Availability 9/18/25
Thursday, September 18
USC WBB's Lindsay Gottlieb, Rayah Marshall and Talia von Oelhoffen | Trojan Press Conference
Monday, March 31
USC WBB heads to the Elite 8, defeats Kansas State in Sweet 16 | Rapid Reaction
Saturday, March 29
Kennedy Smith on USC WBB heading to the Elite Eight, Trojan freshmen getting the job done
Saturday, March 29
