HARTFORD, Conn. — JuJu Watkins' hands were empty as the No. 7 Trojans defeated the No. 4 Yukon Huskies 72-70 and USC's bench emptied onto the XL Center floor. It was fired towards me. Watkins, basking in his 25-point performance that helped lead the University of Southern California to defeat UW for the first time in school history, turned to a small group of red-and-yellow fans inside the packed arena and acknowledged their support. Ta.
“Knowing the history of last year and how they brought us home, it felt a little different,” Watkins said.
This time the stakes were different. In April's Elite Eight, the Huskies eliminated the top-seeded Trojans from the NCAA Tournament. Still, Saturday night's two-point win was meaningful. Watkins and USC senior transfer Kiki Iriafen, as well as their coach Lindsay Gottlieb, have long admired the program built by UConn coach Geno Auriemma.
“This is a really meaningful win, considering the size of UConn's program and what Geno Auriemma has done for our sport,” Gottlieb said. “Throughout my high school (career), this was basketball excellence. This is what we saw, our commitment to finding players who want to get better, who want to be better, who want to be elite. It's a challenge for everyone, and I don't think that's gone away.”
Gottlieb is in his fourth season with the Trojans and hopes to build a lasting program similar to the Huskies. A season ago, USC won the Pac-12 Tournament title for the second time in program history and made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years. During her brief tenure, she taught onlookers the history of USC's success, including two national titles and three Final Four appearances in the 1980s, and Hall of Fame names like Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Miller and Tina Thompson. Not only does it remind us of the players we entered, but it could still be the case today. Watkins, last year's National Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-American selection, is at the center of the latest chapter. Victories like Saturday's help make lofty aspirations more attainable.
USC coach Lindsey Gottlieb hopes to emulate what Geno Auriemma built in Connecticut. (David Butler II/Imagine Images)
Gottlieb grew up outside New York City, but was not scouted by Auriemma in high school. Nevertheless, when she was 15 or 16 years old, she went with one of her friends to one of his camps. UW is always a local draw, and after Saturday's win, during her senior year at Brown University near Providence, R.I., she traveled with her father to Storrs to watch UW play Tennessee. I remembered when I went there by car.
“It was sold out, and I was in that building and saw this atmosphere,” Gottlieb said.
Saturday was also noisy. And Watkins, a star guard at the University of Southern California, said it may have been the biggest crowd she's ever played in front of. Nearly 16,000 people packed into the XL Center, nearly all dressed in navy and white.
Still, Watkins added, “Just being able to see my family and all the SC fans here meant the world.”
If anyone needs a reminder, the Trojans' win solidified their status as one of this season's national title contenders. The only loss at 11-1 was at home to Notre Dame, a 13-point loss. Gottlieb said it would have been easy for program officials to blame each other and the Trojans to split after the November loss.
“As long as we stay united, we can do better,” she said she told them later. “And (the loss) affected us in every way.”
Heading into Saturday's victory, the Trojans boasted the third-best defense in the country and the 15th-ranked offense. They convert in transition (nearly 20% of their points come in transition) and turnover off the ball (they average 28.7 points per game), important metrics that could be useful down the road. The win over the Huskies strengthened their belief that they could take the lead heading into one of the most anticipated games of the season on the road. This proved they could still come back even if they surrendered a 13-point lead at halftime and found themselves down by one with less than five minutes left.
“Nobody got off the treadmill,” Gottlieb said.
Of course, the presence of a super star like Watkins helps ease the tension. Not only did she lead the game in scoring, she also added six rebounds, five assists and three blocks, including one goal just before halftime against UW star Paige Backers. The Buccaneers were prolific in the second half, finishing with 22 points, but she also guarded Watkins as the University of Southern California star got off to a fast start in the first quarter.
“Any scouting report you put together, any film you look at, it's clear that one player can't guard (Watkins),” Auriemma said. “Once she gets into a bit of a rhythm, you just have to hope that she gets out of rhythm.”
With the score within one possession with 4:30 remaining, Watkins scored six of USC's eight points and assisted forward Raya Marshall on the only basket she failed to score.
“A lot of what she does is very difficult, but she makes it look so easy,” Iriafen said. “We all know she’s a superstar, so playing alongside her definitely takes the pressure off the other guys.”
In the locker room after the game, the remnants of the pressure disappeared even further. Players poured water on Gottlieb as he entered the stadium. They jumped up and down together in celebration.
“For me, it means a lot to bring a team here now and know we can do it and actually do it,” Gottlieb said. “I’m really proud of this big win.”
(Photo above of Juju Watkins driving between Paige Backers (left) and Kaitlyn Chen: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)
