The Guru NCAAW Report: JuJu Watkins Carries No. 6 Southern Cal to Upset No. 1 UCLA, Downing the Last Unbeaten; No. 2 Notre Dame Stays Perfect in the ACC; Saint Joseph’s Falls Short at Richmond in A-10 Thriller

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

It was an 0-4 night locally Thursday led by Saint Joseph’s falling short at defending champion Richmond 59-51 in the Spiders’ Robins Center in Virginia for the top of the Atlantic Ten in the nationally televised contest.

The outcome came when the season reached full blossom with so many women’s collegiate hoops events  across the country and the best coming last when sophomore JuJu Watkins turned former Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark into yesterday’s news with a generational performance leading No. 6 Southern Cal (22-2, 12-2) to a come-from-ahead, come-from-behind across-town rivalry upset at home in the sellout Galen Center removing No. 1 UCLA (23-1, 11-1) as the last unbeaten 71-60.

“It was just a few years ago, people said women’s basketball can’t be big in L.A., can’t be covered, can’t be sold out,” said Southern Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who on the postgame TV interview earlier called Watkins’ performance “Unworldly.”

It was Southern Cal’s first win over a No. 1 team since 1983, when they won the first of two consecutive NCAA titles in the Cheryl Miller era. That win was the 69-67 triumph over Louisiana Tech in the championship.

The move to No. 1 is wide open in Monday’s AP Poll after UCLA’s 23-0 record came to a crashing halt in a nationally televised contest featuring Watkin’s electrifying performance scoring 38 points, grabbing 11 boards, dishing five assists and blocking eight shots.

Watkins’ game stats are the first in two decades across all Division I, according to ESPN.

She was the only Trojan to make a field goal in the second and third quarters.

Let’s take care of the locals first and though the Hawks (20-5, 11-3) parted with an eight-game win streak and just fell into third place two games behind Richmond (21-5, 12-1) in the loss column and one behind George Mason (22-3,12-2) there is no reason to jump off the bandwagon.

For one, it was the first night in several weeks everyone was back with the return of Talya Bruglar from a hand injury and but for several minutes of scoring slumps the outcome could have been easily reversed.

Mackenzie Smith was the lone player on both sides rising above the defensive battle scoring 22 points on 8-15 from the field with five 3-pointers but Laura Ziegler’s double figures of 12 points were way down off Sunday’s record-shattering 43 points and lower than her 18.4 points average.

Bruglar, in her first game back, scored just four points, off from her 13-point average before the injury.

The damage was in the second period when Richmond ran off an 11-0 run and 17-9 for the 10 minutes and Saint Joseph’s, held to a season-low nine assists was unable to surmount the Spiders’ balanced attack the rest of the way.

Addie Budnik scored 12 with seven boards for the home folls, Ally Sweeney and Broomall’s Maggie Duggan each scored 11, while Rachel Ullstrom and Katie Hill scored nine apiece.

Saint Joseph’s is off until visiting Rhode Island next Wednesday at 6 p.m. (ESPN+) and then finish out hosting George Mason, visiting Dayton, and hosting Richmond, which faces Saint Louis, George Washington, VCU, and Davidson before the trip to Hagan Arena.

George Mason faces UMass, Davidson, the Hawks, and Duquesne.

Meanwhile in the Big Ten on the local side, Rutgers (10-15, 2-12) lost 55-43 at Iowa (18-7, 8-6) while Penn State (10-15, 1-13) fell 67-55 at Illinois (20-5, 10-4), with Rutgers now below with the bottom three cut from next month’s tournament in Indianapolis.

In the Rutgers game, Jojo Lacey was the sole player in double figures for the Scarlet Knights, while Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen had 27 points and Sydney Affolter had 10 points and 14 boards.

The Knights host Northwestern (8-15, 1-11) at 8 p.m. Monday on the Big Ten Network at Jersey Mike’s Arena, then travel to Washington and Oregon and then finish up hosting Penn State.

In the Penn State game, Gabby Elliott scored 16 off the bench, and Gracie Merkle scored 15 with 10 rebounds.

Illinois, in fourth behind Southern Cal, UCLA and Ohio State, had four starters in double figures led by Adalia Mckenzie with 19 points and eight boards, followed by Genesis Bryant with 18 points and six assists.

The Lady Lions host Wisconsin Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, then meet Michigan, Purdue, and Rutgers.

In the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Rider (6-17, 4-10) was downed 65-60 by Iona (10-14, 8-6) at home in Alumni Gym  in Lawrenceville, N.J.

La Salle transfer Gabby Turcol scored 22 and Winner Bartholomew had 15 for the Broncs, who host St. Peters Saturday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).

Elsewhere in the MAAC involving the two frontrunners, defending champion and league leader Fairfield cruised over visiting Saint Peter’s 73-43 and second-place Quinnipiac (20-3, 12-2) did likewise to  visiting Sacred Heart 71-47.

In the win by Fairfield (20-3, 14-0) Meghan Andersen and reserve Riana Brown each scored 17 for the Stags, who have won 37-straight MAAC games over two seasons.

Freshman Gal Raviv scored 22 for Quinnipiac.

The National Scene: JuJu Jolts Bruins on a Nationwide Night of Records

Lauren Betts, who transferred from Stanford last season, had 18 points and 13 boards for UCLA.

The USC defense got 21 points off 20 turnovers and UCLA’s 60-point total was a season low.

The March 1 rematch at the Bruins’ Pauley Pavillion in Westwood was announced as a sellout earlier this week.

Watkins had come into the game in a scoring slump shooting 5-21 off a 0-10 start in the win hosting Ohio State last weekend.

“It has been a tough couple of weeks for me,” she said. “There's a lesson in everything and I think that is to always stay joyful on the court.”

National pundits watching or at the game could not  recall a women’s performance against a No. 1 team as dominant as this. Clark made her bones scoring and shooting logo threes but Watkins was doing everything in this one.

Watkins passed her 1,500th career point in the game.

Southern Cal scored just nine points in a 17-9 third quarter before they exploded with Watkins over the final ten minutes 24-8, finishing on an 11-1 run. She had all 14 Trojan points to lead by that much in the second quarter before the Bruins erased the deficit.

“I’m just like a kid out there, living out my dreams,” Watkins said.”I didn’t plan on having that many blocks but that’s what we needed ton win.”

Kiki Iriafen, who transferred from Stanford this season, added 13 points for USC, while Kiki Rice with 15 points and reserve Janiah Barker scored 10 to join UCLA’s Betts in double figures.

“This is a historic performance we should appreciate from JuJu and her team and then move on to  the next one,” Gottlieb said.

According to a stats group, Watkins is the only NBA, WNBA, or Division 1 men’s or women’s player this century with a game with 35+ points, 10+ points, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks,

5+ threes made besides doing it against the nation’s top team.

UCLA hosts No. 22 Michigan State Sunday and Southern Cal faces another for PAC-12 rival visiting Washington in Seattle.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 9 Ohio State (21-3, 10-3) went in overtime to beat visiting Minnesota 87-84.

Nebraska upset No. 17 Maryland (19-6, 9-5)  at home in Lincoln as Alexis Markowski had 20 points and 11 boards for the Cornhuskers (17-8, 8-6). 

Notre Dame Poised for No. 1

The No. 2 Fighting Irish (22-2, 13-0) stayed perfect in the ACC beating Pittsburgh for the 11th straight time 88- 57 in a road victory.

Olivia Miles tied a school record with eight from deep and finished with 28 points while Sonia Citron scored 22 against the Panthers (11-15, 3–10). Merchantville’s Hannah Hidalgo and Liatu King, a Pitt transfer, each scored 11 points.

With UCLA’s loss later and no more  games till playing No. 13 Duke Monday, Notre Dame is the frontrunner to move to No. 1 in the AP Poll when it is released earlier that day.

Elsewhere in the ACC, Louisville on the road upset No. 23 Florida State 83-69 while Clemson upset  No.19 Georgia Tech at home 68-61.

No.10 NC State at home barely avoided an upset with a 76-74 victory over Miami, while No. 12 N Carolina at home had a close 67-62 win over Virginia Tech.

Zoe Brooks had the game winner for Wolfpack (20-4, 12-1) in Raleigh; Reniya Kelly scored 20 for UNC (22-4, 10-3), Louisville (18-7, 11-3) got 17 each from Taijan Roberts and Jadya Curry in its upset offsetting the 29 from Ta’Niya Latson of Florida State (19-6, 9-4).

Clemson’s Tessa Miller scored 18 in its win over Georgia Tech (20-5, 8-5).

Michelle Oniyah had 21 points, including her 1000th career point for California (20-6, 8-5) in a 72-63 win over visiting Boston College reach 20 victories for the first time since 2019, while Stanford (12-12, 4-9) got 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 79-58 win over visiting Syracuse to snap a three-game losing streak.

In the SEC, No. 3 Texas (25-2, 11-1) won its ninth straight, beating No. 8 Kentucky 67-49 in Lexington as Madison Booker and Kyla Oldacre each scored 18 against the Wildcats (19-4, 8-3).

No. 15 Tennessee reached a 14-year scoring high against a conference foe beating visiting Auburn 99-61 as Jewel Spear scored five makes on the way to 17 points for the Lady Vols (18-6, 5-6).

No. 4 South Carolina (23-2, 11-1) in a 101-63 blowout of Florida at home got 28 points from freshman Joyce Edwards, the most ever by a freshman in the program against an SEC opponent.

South Carolina hosts No. 7 Connecticut Sunday.

Mississippi State won at Vanderbilt 85-77 in douuble overtiime.

In the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga (18-8, 13-2) pulled out another close one winning 66-62 overtime.

Looking Ahead

Things to do to extend in your Valentine’s Day center city trip Friday to the NFL Philadelphia  Eagles Super Bowl victory parade.

At 6 p.m. within a few blocks of each other Drexel battling for at least second place in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) hosts William & Mary at the Daskalakis Athletic Center (FloSports), the other CAA local Delaware hosts Monmouth at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark.

Or down the street at 6 p.m. from Drexel at The Palestra Penn battling for fourth in the Ivy League hosts Yale (all  Ivies on ESPN+), the other Ivy local Princeton at 6 p.m. battling for first hosts Brown in Central Jersey at Jadwin Gym.

Elsewhere in the Ivies, Columbia looks to stay unbeaten in league play hosting Dartmouth at 7 p.m. at Levien Gym off Broadway in the Upper West Side in New York City, while Harvard at 6 p.m. in the battle at the top of the league visits Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.

That’s your roundup.