USC vs UNLV: JuJu Watkins Is Back After 588 Days — and No. 3 USC Leads the Lady Rebels 86-51 Late in the Fourth
The most-searched game in America on Monday was played in Las Vegas. JuJu Watkins returned from a torn ACL at T-Mobile Arena, USC built a 29-15 first-quarter lead and never looked back, and UNLV's season opener turned into a measuring stick the Lady Rebels will spend November answering.
The comeback was the headline before the score was. JuJu Watkins, out since she tore her ACL in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, scored her first basket in 588 days on a driving and-one in the first half at T-Mobile Arena on Monday, as No. 3 USC opened its season against UNLV in the Hall of Fame Series, according to the game coverage read in full by the desk. She finished the afternoon doing everything: a driving layup late in the third quarter, a steal from Jayla Constant and another layup seconds later, then an assist on a Kennedy Smith 3-pointer as the Trojans blew the game open.
The game itself was decided early. USC closed the first quarter up 29-15 behind nine points from Saniyah Hall, including a buzzer-beating corner 3, and a 13-0 run that stretched an early tie into a double-digit lead. Jazzy Davidson went 5-of-5 in the second quarter for 11 points, USC shot 61 percent in the first half with 17 points off turnovers, and the break came at 48-33 despite nine points from Constant and eight from Jasmyn Lott for the Lady Rebels.
Late in the fourth quarter the live feed had USC ahead 86-51, a margin that says less about UNLV's season than about the distance between the Mountain West's preseason favorite and a national-title contender at full strength. The Lady Rebels were picked No. 1 in the Mountain West preseason poll, and Meadow Roland — the league's preseason player of the year — now leads them into the home opener Friday against UTSA at the Pavilion, where Desi-Rae Young's No. 23 jersey will be retired. Monday's final files in the next cycle; the lesson of opening night is already clear.
