USC vs UNLV Final: Watkins Scores 21 in Her Return as No. 3 USC Routs the Lady Rebels 100-68
The final from T-Mobile Arena: JuJu Watkins' first game in 589 days ended in a 32-point USC win, with three Trojans over 20 points and a 31-10 third quarter that turned UNLV's season opener into a measuring stick.
JuJu Watkins scored 21 points in her return after missing last season with an ACL injury, freshman Saniyah Hall added 22 in her collegiate debut and No. 3 Southern California defeated UNLV 100-68 on Monday at T-Mobile Arena, the Associated Press reported. Jazzy Davidson led all scorers with 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting for the Trojans. Watkins added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 25 minutes — her first game in 589 days, since she tore her ACL in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The game broke open in the third quarter. Watkins scored 11 of her 21 in the frame as USC outscored UNLV 31-10, stretching a 52-39 halftime lead to 83-49. USC shot 58.8 percent overall and held a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint — the statistical shape of a national-title contender at full strength against the Mountain West's preseason favorite, in a game that was the most-searched in America on Monday.
For UNLV, the opener now becomes the reference point rather than the verdict. The Lady Rebels were picked No. 1 in the Mountain West preseason poll, and their next test comes quickly: UNLV hosts UTSA on Friday at the Pavilion, the night Desi-Rae Young's No. 23 jersey is retired. USC, 1-0, hosts Utah State on Sunday. Monday's final files the game this station carried live in the previous cycle — and the distance between the Lady Rebels and the No. 3 team in the country is the number November has to close.
