Jazzy Davidson Scores 23 and JuJu Watkins Has 21 in Return as No. 3 USC Beats UNLV 100-68

JuJu Watkins had waited 588 days for a basket that counted. It came with 5:50 left in the first quarter on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, a layup through contact and a free throw to finish the three-point play, and by the end of the day it was only one part of a very loud opener for No. 3 USC.

Watkins scored 21 points in her first game since tearing her ACL, sophomore Jazzy Davidson led the Women of Troy with 23 on 10 of 11 shooting, and freshman Saniyah Hall added 22 in her college debut as USC beat UNLV 100-68 on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena.

USC opens 1-0 and UNLV starts 0-1. Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and USC's official recap (opens in a new tab).

The return

The last time Watkins scored in a game was March 24, 2025, according to USC. The ACL injury came in the NCAA Tournament during Watkins' sophomore season, the AP reported, and it cost the former AP Player of the Year all of last season. Watkins stayed around the team during the rehab, according to the AP, and this was the first chance for teammates to celebrate with Watkins on the court.

The line was not polished, and nobody expected it to be. Watkins went 9 of 22 from the field, missed all five 3-point attempts and made 3 of 4 free throws, with five rebounds, three of them offensive, two assists, two steals and a block. The most encouraging number may have been the one in the turnover column: zero. USC is limiting Watkins' minutes while the workload builds, the AP reported.

Lindsay Gottlieb talked about the team as much as the star. "I mean, it's hard to describe how much this team has her back," Gottlieb said, according to the AP. "It's a group that really cares for her as a human being."

Gottlieb also gave a frank read on where Watkins is physically. "I think she physically looks great, explosive wise and all that," Gottlieb said, per the AP. "It's just finding that rhythm." Then the line that will probably follow this team all season: "The game is just better with her in it."

Watkins did not speak with reporters after the game, according to the AP.

Davidson and Hall set the pace

If Watkins was the story, Davidson and Hall were the reason the game never got tight. Davidson opened the scoring with a pull-up jumper, per USC, and finished 10 of 11 from the field, 1 of 2 from deep and 2 of 2 at the line, with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Davidson told the AP that Watkins "was a great mentor to me."

Hall was nearly as efficient in a first college game. The freshman went 7 of 8 from the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 5 of 7 at the line, and added seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Hall scored nine points in the first quarter, according to the AP, including a 3 that pushed the lead to 20-11 and another late in the period as USC closed on a 14-4 run to lead 29-15.

Davidson, Hall and Watkins combined for 66 of the 100 points, according to USC. Five Trojans reached double figures: Kennedy Smith scored 12 on 5 of 8 shooting with three assists, four steals and a block, and Sitaya Fagan had 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting off the bench in a USC debut.

The rest of the bench chipped in around the edges. Laura Williams made the first 3-pointer of her career, according to USC, and blocked two shots. Pania Davis scored four points with four rebounds, and Ryann Bennett had three assists and three steals in 15 minutes. Between them, Davidson and Hall went 17 of 19 from the field.

UNLV hung around for a half

UNLV did not fold early. The Rebels won the second quarter 24-23, hitting 4 of 6 from 3-point range in the period, according to the AP, and went into the locker room down 52-39. That 52-point half was USC's highest-scoring first half since it put up 53 against Northwestern on Feb. 5, 2026, per the school.

The problem for UNLV was everything else on the stat sheet. The Rebels turned the ball over 24 times, and USC scored 32 points off those mistakes, according to the AP. USC also dominated the paint 52-24.

UNLV did win the rebounding battle 40-35 and grabbed 21 offensive boards, with Norah Moo grabbing six offensive rebounds. The second chances kept the score respectable for a half, but they could not make up for the giveaways.

The third quarter decided it

USC put the game away in the third, outscoring UNLV 31-10. The Women of Troy shot 14 of 20 in the quarter while UNLV made 3 of 16, according to the AP, and the Rebels went 0 for 5 from 3 and did not make a field goal over the final 4:14 of the period.

Hall started the run out of the break with a jumper and then a steal and layup on consecutive possessions, per USC, and later hit a third 3 for a 61-39 lead. Then Watkins took over. After trading assists with Davidson on back-to-back layups, Watkins finished a three-point play off a Bennett steal, blocked a shot that led to a Davis layup, scored on consecutive trips and found Smith for a jumper that made it 83-49 going into the fourth. Watkins scored 11 points in the quarter, according to the AP.

The rest was cleanup. Freshman Rian Forestier grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the putback with 42 seconds left to reach 100, according to USC. All 12 available Trojans played.

The numbers behind the margin

USC shot 58.8 percent from the field (40 of 68) and 8 of 22 from 3-point range. The Women of Troy were 12 of 19 at the line, a number that will need to climb.

USC finished with 17 assists, 13 steals and eight blocks. The 16 turnovers were the one sloppy area, including four from Sara Okeke, who did not score in 23 minutes.

UNLV shot 34.9 percent (22 of 63) and 7 of 20 from deep, and went 17 of 24 at the line. The Rebels had 11 assists against 24 turnovers.

USC reached 100 points in a season opener for the first time since it scored 102 against BYU to open the 1985-86 season, according to the school. It was the program's 36th 100-point game and the first since Nov. 29, 2024. USC is now 40-11 all-time in openers and has won 12 straight, and this was the program's fifth straight win in Las Vegas, per USC.

UNLV's day and what comes next

Maia Rosarion led UNLV with 12 points in just 12 minutes off the bench, going 3 of 7 from the field and 5 of 6 at the line with seven rebounds. Jayla Constant scored 10 with three assists but committed eight turnovers. Jasmyn Lott added eight points with two 3s, and Meadow Roland had seven points and six rebounds before finishing with five fouls. Marley Washenitz scored seven on 2 of 12 shooting, Moo, Trystan James and Keonni Lewis each scored six, and Bergan Kinnebrew added five.

For a team that kept pace for a half against one of the best rosters in the country, the lesson is simple enough: take care of the ball. UNLV hosts UTSA on Friday, according to the AP.

USC goes home to Galen Center to host Utah State on Sunday, Nov. 8. That game, in which Watkins posted 32 points and 16 rebounds, is recapped here on Undrafted.

Sources: ESPN, AP, USC Athletics.

Photo: Katie Chin/USC Athletics.