JuJu Watkins Posts 32 Points and 16 Rebounds as No. 3 USC Routs Utah State 118-40 in Home Opener

The crowd at Galen Center applauded JuJu Watkins during pregame introductions, before Watkins had done a thing. By the time Watkins checked out with 2:34 to play, the applause had a lot more to do with what she had just done than with where she had been.

Watkins scored 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, handed out six assists and made five steals in 27 minutes, and No. 3 USC buried Utah State 118-40 in its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 8, in Los Angeles. Freshman Saniyah Hall added 20, six players reached double figures, and the Women of Troy shot 60 percent from the field in front of 7,807 fans.

It was Watkins' second game back after 20 months away with a torn ACL, according to the AP, and the first at home. USC is 2-0. Utah State falls to 1-2. Here is the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab).

A first quarter that ended the suspense

USC did not ease into this one. The Women of Troy scored 36 points in the first quarter alone, and Utah State managed 11. Watkins set the tone early, using a crossover to knock Sami Mancini off balance before rising for a jumper, per the AP, and she closed the period the same way, with a pull-up from about 15 feet that beat the buzzer.

That 36-point quarter would have been a respectable half against a lot of opponents. USC got there with pace. The Women of Troy finished with 27 fast break points to Utah State's two, and much of that damage came from turning missed Aggie shots and turnovers into layups before the defense could set.

The second quarter was the closest stretch of the day, and USC still won it 19-11. The halftime score was 55-22. Watkins had 16 points and nine rebounds at the break, one board shy of a double-double, according to the AP.

The second half was a different sport

If the first half was a statement, the second half was a lecture. USC outscored Utah State 63-18 after the break. The lead reached 80 at one point, according to ESPN's game data, before the reserves played out the final minutes and the margin settled at 78.

There is not much tactical drama to describe in a game like this, but the way USC built the gap tells you plenty about the roster. The Women of Troy scored 72 points in the paint against 22 for Utah State. They grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, four more than Utah State's total rebounds, and won the glass 56-19. They assisted on 29 of their 48 made baskets and turned the ball over only seven times.

If there was a flaw to nitpick, it was at the free throw line, where USC made 13 of 19, and from the perimeter, where the Women of Troy were a modest 9 of 24. Neither mattered on Sunday. Both are worth watching once the schedule tightens, because a team this good at getting to the rim will see plenty of packed defenses daring it to shoot.

Defensively, USC forced 18 turnovers, turned them into 27 points, and held Utah State to 28.1 percent shooting (16 of 57) and 3 of 15 from 3-point range. The Aggies did not block a shot all day.

Watkins looked like Watkins

The numbers are absurd on their own, but the context makes them stranger. Watkins was the AP Player of the Year before the injury, the AP noted, and she missed the entire 2025-26 season. Two games into the comeback, the shot, the burst and the vision all look intact.

Watkins went 10 of 19 from the field, 4 of 7 from deep and 8 of 9 at the free throw line. The 16 rebounds, four on the offensive end, led all players. ESPN Insights, as reported by ClutchPoints, said Watkins became the first Big Ten player in the last 25 years to post at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game.

The workload was managed. Watkins played 27 minutes, one fewer than Jazzy Davidson, and still finished with three turnovers, two fouls and a block. In the opener at UNLV on Nov. 2, Watkins scored 21 in a 100-68 win, per the AP, which puts her at 53 points through two games. ESPN Insights also noted that USC had scored 100 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1986.

Hall and a deep supporting cast

Hall keeps making the freshman label look like a technicality. The guard went 9 of 16 from the field and 2 of 5 from deep for 20 points, with five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal and no turnovers in 25 minutes.

Davidson was the table setter, finishing with 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting and six assists. Kennedy Smith scored seven with four assists and no turnovers.

The frontcourt was close to flawless. Sara Okeke made all five of her shots and both free throws for 12 points and eight rebounds, four of them offensive. Laura Williams came off the bench and went 5 of 5 for 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. Pania Davis was 3 of 3 for six points. That trio combined to make 13 of 13 shots from the field. Sitaya Fagan added 11 points and five rebounds, and Ryann Bennett had six points and five assists in 19 minutes.

USC's bench scored 35 points, nearly matching Utah State's total by itself. Lindsay Gottlieb used 12 players, and every one of them grabbed a rebound or recorded an assist.

Utah State's long afternoon

Utah State never led. Kylani Rookstool was the bright spot, scoring 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting with two 3s in 35 minutes, and Mancini added 10 points on 5 of 16 from the field. Nicole Ogun scored six with four offensive rebounds before fouling out, and Aaliyah Gayles scored six on 2 of 10 shooting.

The Aggies' bench produced six points. Utah State finished with nine assists against 18 turnovers and got to the free throw line just seven times, making five.

There is no shame in losing to a team playing at this level, but a 78-point loss stings anyway. Utah State hosts Idaho State on Wednesday, according to the AP, a far more manageable chance to reset.

What it means for USC

Two games in, USC looks like a team with a real claim to the top of the sport. The Women of Troy came into the season ranked third in the preseason AP poll, and with Watkins back, a freshman who just dropped 20 next to her and a frontcourt that barely misses, the ceiling is obvious.

The minutes chart may be the most encouraging part of the box score for Gottlieb. No USC player logged more than 28 minutes, Watkins included, and five reserves played at least 10. Early in a comeback season, a blowout that lets the staff spread minutes while the star still produces a 32 and 16 line is about as good as November gets.

The starters scored 83 of the 118 points, which shows how heavy the load at the top still is, but the bench production from Fagan, Williams, Davis and Bennett suggests USC can survive the nights when Watkins or Hall cools off. That depth matters even more over a full Big Ten schedule.

The questions will come later, against teams that can match the athleticism. For now, the only thing Utah State tested was the scoreboard operator.

USC hosts Charleston on Tuesday, Nov. 10. That game is recapped here on Undrafted, and the latest women's AP Top 25 has the full poll picture.

Sources: ESPN, AP, ClutchPoints, USC Athletics.

Photo: USC Athletics.