Watkins shines as No. 6 USC hands No. 1 UCLA 1st loss of season

JuJu Watkins and No. 6 USC upset No. 1 UCLA 71-60 on Thursday, handing the Bruins their first loss of the season.

Watkins led the Trojans to victory with a game-high 38 points to go along with 11 rebounds, five assists, and eight blocks. She became the first player with 35-plus points, five-plus blocks, and five-plus assists in a game in the last 20 seasons across all Division I basketball, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

"JuJu got hot off the bounce and she got in a rhythm," UCLA coach Cori Close told the Associated Press.

The sophomore's clutch steal led to a layup in the fourth quarter, giving the Trojans their first lead since halftime. They didn't trail for the rest of the contest.

Watkins outscored all of her other teammates combined - USC's next highest scorer was forward Kiki Iriafen, who recorded 13 points.

UCLA was the last remaining undefeated team in the nation heading into Thursday's contest. This was the Trojans' first win over a top-ranked school since 1983.

USC dominated in the final frame, outscoring UCLA 24-8 and holding the Bruins to 1-of-14 shooting in the quarter. The former closed the game on an 11-2 run.

The Trojans held the Bruins to just 15.4% shooting from three and forced them into 20 turnovers that led to 21 points.

USC has now won three straight since falling to unranked Iowa on Feb. 2 and will look to extend that streak Sunday against Washington. UCLA, meanwhile, will try to get back in the win column Sunday against No. 22 Michigan State.