NCAAW: JuJu, USC rise over UCLA to win Big Ten championship

No. 4 USC made history by beating No.2 UCLA 80-67 on Saturday in Los Angeles, sweeping the Bruins during the regular season and winning their first Big Ten title in their inaugural year in the conference.

JuJu Watkins did most of her damage during the first half, scoring 23 points. She ended the night with 30 points, three rebounds and five assists. Kiki Iriafen was crucial throughout with 17 points and nine rebounds in the win. In the loss, no one for UCLA played particularly well. Kiki Rice scored a team-high 16 points and Lauren Betts was held to just 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

How the Trojans won the battle for LA—again

From the jump, USC established their dominance. Watkins scored a 3-pointer to start the game and the Trojans went on a 9-0 run. The lead quickly extended to double digits, but UCLA finally got going midway through the first. After a pair of free throws by Rice, the Bruins trailed by just six. Rice then had a nice assist on a Angela Dugalic 3-pointer and USC led by just three points entering the second quarter.

But the rest of the first half was all USC. Betts couldn’t find any kind of rhythm and the Trojans came out to a quick 7-0 run to start the second quarter.

During the first seven and a half minutes of the quarter, UCLA only scored eight points. Meanwhile, USC got buckets from Watkins, Kennedy Smith, Talia von Oelhoffen and Clarice Akunwafo. At the break, it was all USC, as they were up 46-32.

To start the third, Iriafen scored two quick points inside for USC. Dugalic scored a 3-pointer for UCLA, and after a five-point burst by Londynn Jones, the Bruins were down by just a dozen. Jones had a couple of opportunities to make a momentum-swinging 3, but she was unable to convert. Midway through the quarter, USC remained in control, up 55-46.

However, UCLA kept chipping away. Rice hit four free throws and Betts scored a layup in between. Suddenly, it was a five point game. A scuffle occurred near the UCLA bench, and the rivalry was in full effect.

Watkins was quiet offensively for most of the third and missed two free throws, which would’ve ended the UCLA run. Instead, Malia Samuels, a player who hasn’t scored since early February, finally put USC back on the board. Iriafen then made a layup, and the Trojans had a bit of breathing room again.

Watkins missed another two free throws, but finally scored inside to put USC back up by double figures entering the fourth. With 10 minutes left, UCLA needed an epic run to comeback, but USC had other ideas. Avery Howell made back-to-back 3-pointers, extending the Trojans’ lead to 19 points.

With time running out, the Bruins had no response left. USC cruised to victory the rest of the way, celebrating their championship on the Bruins’ court.

Key takeaways

The Trojans have Watkins, and this year, she has help. Iriafen has been great, and the supporting cast stepped up not just on Saturday but all season long. No one is going to want to play this team this month, and defeating them will be a tough task.

The Bruins are great, but they needed more from Betts and also should’ve found ways to get her more involved. She needed more touches in the first half and didn’t get them. The backcourt also needs to produce more, especially as we begin the conference and NCAA tournaments, where many teams have high-scoring perimeter players.

For USC, you rejoice and celebrate; for UCLA, the loss stings, but the bigger goals are still possible.