LAS VEGAS — Freshman JuJu Watkins scored 32 points in her college debut, lifting No. 21 Southern California over No. 7 Ohio State 83-74 Monday in the opener for both teams.
“I’m lost for words right now. I’m still kind of processing everything,” Watkins said. “Whenever we get the chance to compete against a top 10 team, any team really, we’re ready, we prep the right way, we do what we need to do, and we get out on the court and we show the world what we can do.”
Watkins, among the highest-regarded incoming freshmen, finished 11 of 18 from the floor with six rebounds and five assists.
Watkins made her first college bucket a little more than a minute in and went on to score 16 points in the first half.
Rayah Marshall had 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Trojans while McKenzie Forbes scored 11 points.
“They’re just really consistent people. They’re consistent players,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “They don’t get easily rattled.”
Jacy Sheldon led the Buckeyes with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, and Taylor Thierry scored 16.
After seeing their 19-point lead disappear when Ohio State outscored them 30-10 in the third quarter, the Trojans opened the fourth on a 13-4 run to seize control.
USC shot 12 of 18 in the second quarter and finished the first half making 18 of 35, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range.
After shooting 35.2% from the floor in the first quarter, the Buckeyes were 2 of 10 in the second quarter.
Marshall didn’t make it easy on the Buckeyes, as she had four steals in the second and converted two of them into breakaway buckets. The Trojans finished with 10 points off turnovers in the first half and outscored Ohio State 26-6 in the paint. USC also dominated the Buckeyes on the boards, outrebounding them 27-11.
“We didn’t come out with energy like we normally do and ready to go, and they did,” Sheldon said.
Las Vegas’ Aaliyah Gayles, who was shot more than a dozen times in April 2022, dressed for USC but did not play.
Big picture
USC: The Trojans’ Ivy League transfer trio of Forbes (Harvard), Kayla Padilla (Penn) and Kaitlyn Davis (Columbia) made their presence felt in their USC debuts, too, combining for 23 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes averaged 35.3 rebounds per game last season and ranked 251st in the nation with a -2.2 rebounding margin. Monday they were outrebounded 43-28 by the Trojans.
Up next
USC: Hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Friday
Ohio State: Hosts IUPUI on Sunday
No. 17 Louisville 77, Cincinnati 59
CINCINNATI — Transfers Sydney Taylor scored 16 points and Jayda Curry had 13 to help No. 17 Louisville beat Cincinnati in the season opener for both.
The Cardinals, the only team to reach the Elite Eight in the last five NCAA tournaments, were playing their first game without star Hailey Van Lith, who transferred to defending national champion LSU.
Louisville led 36-22 by halftime after holding Cincinnati to just seven points in the second quarter and grew the lead to as many as 20 at 77-57 in the final minute.
Jillian Hayes scored 20 to lead Cincinnati. The Bearcats played 13 players, nine of whom scored.
Taylor, a transfer from UMass, hit two 3-pointers, as did Curry. Kiki Jefferson, an 1,800-point transfer from James Madison, added nine points. The Cardinals forced 21 turnovers and turned them into 27 points and outscored the Bearcats 26-16 at the free-throw line.
