JuJu Watkins outpaces Caitlin Clark to major NCAA milestone: But who was the quickest?
USC guard JuJu Watkins reached the 1,000-point plateau in the Trojans' 81-50 win over Santa Clara on Friday, emulating Caitlin Clark. Watkins scored the milestone when she hit a jumper with 6:47 left in the third quarter.
The sophomore guard, who has compiled 1,006 points in 38 games, achieved the feat in two games fewer than all-time NCAA Division I leading scorer Caitlin Clark, who reached 1,000 points in 40 games. Overall, Watkins is the joint fourth-fastest player in terms of games in D-I WBB history.
As a point of comparison, Clark had 978 points and averaged 25.7 ppg in 38 games for Iowa, while the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard has normed 26.5 ppg at the same length of games for USC.
The 19-year-old reigning first-team All-American expressed happiness for her latest achievement and noted that the scoring mark is worth working on.
"I'm not taking anything for granted. Very blessed to be in this position. This is great, something to build off and continue to work on," said Watkins, who surpassed the mark 20 games quicker than USC all-time scoring leader Cheryl Miller.
Juju Watkins tied Weber State's Kathy Miller and Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, who achieved the 1,000-point milestone in 38 games. Three players — LSU's Maree Jackson (1976-78), Oregon State's Carol Menken-Schaudt (1979-81) and New Orleans' Sandra Hodge (1981-84) — were faster than Watkins, Miller and Delle Donne, reaching the mark in 37 games.
JuJu Watkins, USC keep up with Big Ten Conference leaders
The JuJu Watkins-led USC is among the new teams in the expanded Big Ten Conference, along with Washington, Oregon and UCLA. But they are on a good start, winning four games by an average of 43.3 points.
They share a 4-0 mark with Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers and Washington. Illinois, Iowa, UCLA and Ohio State are the other unbeaten teams in the conference, per ESPN.
After edging past Ole Miss on their season debut in France, the No. 3-ranked Trojans coasted through their next three games at home, beating Cal Poly (90-35), Cal State Northridge (124-39) and Santa Clara (81-50).
Juju Watkins is leading the team in offense with 21.5 ppg, while transfer forward Kiki Iriafen is the team's top rebounder with 7.5 rpg. Watkins and Talia von Oelhoffen are the assist leaders with 4.8 and 4.3 apg, respectively.
The sophomore superstar also has awesome numbers in steals (3.8 spg) and blocks (3.0 bpg), making a big case for national player of the year honors. The Trojans have shot 48.4% as a team but their 3-point shooting percentage was a combined 29.1%, including the 6-of-28 clip it had against Santa Clara.
However, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb is confident that her players will improve their long-distance marksmanship as the tournament rolls on. Up next for the Trojans is a marquee matchup with ACC powerhouse Notre Dame, which features the duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles.