JuJu Watkins and No. 3 USC dominate in victory over Cal Poly

JuJu Watkins and No. 3 USC dominate in win over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

USC guard JuJu Watkins puts up a shot against Mississippi.

Associated Press

Nov. 9, 2024 4:02 PM PT

JuJu Watkins scored 16 points, freshman Kayleigh Heckel added 16 points off the bench and No. 3 USC routed Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 90-35 on Saturday in the Trojans’ home opener.

The Trojans (2-0) showed no jet lag from their season-opening 68-66 victory over No. 20 Mississippi in Paris on Monday. They jumped on the Mustangs from the opening tip, taking a 40-6 lead after the opening quarter.

Sydney Bourland had 12 points and six rebounds to lead Cal Poly (1-1). Mary Carter added 11 points.

USC kept it up in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 17-11 to lead 57-17 at halftime.

The Trojans’ defense never allowed Cal Poly to make a sustained run.

Takeaways

Cal Poly: The Mustangs have nine newcomers — eight freshmen and one grad transfer — for the second straight year. They’ll need time to mesh under third-year coach Shanele Stires, who took a three-win team in 2022 to 10 wins in 2023 and 17 last season.

USC: The Trojans had six players in double figures and led in nearly every statistical category. Heckel, a McDonald’s All-American out of New York, finished six of 10 from the floor, made three of four free throws and had five of her team’s 19 steals.

Key moment: Rayah Marshall scored her 1,000th career point on a layup at 6:52 of the first quarter, joining an exclusive club that includes Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson. The junior from Los Angeles grabbed the offensive rebound of Kiki Iriafen’s missed three-pointer and scored. Marshall finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.

Key stat: The Mustangs had 31 turnovers that led to 35 points for the Trojans.

Up next: Cal Poly visits Montana State on Tuesday. USC hosts Cal State Northridge on Tuesday.