Just four games into her sophomore season, JuJu Watkins keeps making history. The star USC guard hit a major milestone on Friday, reaching 1,000 points just 38 games into her NCAA career.
Watkins hit the landmark number during the Trojans’ 81-50 win over Santa Clara, off of a jumper in the third quarter. The sophomore guard ended with 22 points in the win over Santa Clara, chipping in five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Watkins becomes the fourth-fastest player in NCAA history to achieve the feat, tied with Weber State’s Kathy Miller (1976-79) and WNBA legend and Delaware star Elena Delle Donne (2009-2013) at 38 games. Watkins hit the marker in two fewer games than former Iowa star Caitlin Clark, who achieved the feat in 40 games.
LSU’s Maree Jackson (1975-1977), Oregon State’s Carol Menken (1978-1980) and New Orleans’ Sandra Hodge (1980-1982) all hold the record after hitting the milestone in 37 games.
Cheryl Miller, who hold USC’s career scoring record at 3,018 points, hit the 1,000-point landmark in 48 games.
Watkins is coming off of a monster freshman year, where she set USC’s freshman scoring record and finished the season with 801 points. So far this season, Watkins has 64 points in four games, averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game.
With the win, USC moves to 4-0 on the season, buoyed by a tight opening day win against then-No. 20 Ole Miss. The No. 3 Trojans’ next game will be an exciting top-10 matchup against No. 6 Notre Dame.