JuJu Watkins, No. 4 USC sting second-ranked UCLA again

JuJu Watkins went 4-of-11 on 3-point attempt en route to 30 points, and No. 4-ranked Southern California claimed the regular-season Big Ten Conference championship with an 80-67 defeat of second-ranked host UCLA on Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (26-2, 17-1 Big Ten) never trailed, scoring the game's first nine points. USC sent the Bruins to just their second loss of the season -- both coming in the crosstown rivalry series.

UCLA (27-2, 16-2) struggled with Watkins again on Saturday after giving up 38 points to the national Player of the Year contender in the Feb. 13 matchup at USC. But it was not just Watkins on Saturday.

After the Bruins rallied in the third quarter, chipping away a deficit that reached as many as 16 points in the period down to four, Rayah Marshall fed Malia Samuels for an interior basket that ended a 16-5 UCLA run.

Marshall then came away with a steal on the ensuing possession, which led to Kiki Iriafen's put-back score. Iriafen later came up with a steal and found Watkins in transition for a layup, and then Iriafen closed the period -- and a 9-0 USC run -- with a jump shot.

The stretch effectively put the game away, with the Trojans' lead ballooning to 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Iriafen shot 8-of-13 from and scored 17 points to go with nine rebounds. Marshall added six rebounds and five assists, and Watkins blocked three shots.

Watkins' four made 3-pointers marked her third-most in a game this season. Her second-most came when she hit six against UCLA last month.

Kiki Rice, who led the Bruins with 16 points, struggled to find her shot from the floor. She went 3-of-13 from the field overall and 0-for-3 from deep.

Londynn Jones, who scored 12 points, shot just 2-of-8 from long range and 5-of-13 overall. Lauren Betts finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

--Field Level Media