Los Angeles, California: JuJu Watkins Scores 21 in Return as No. 3 USC Beats UNLV 100-68

JuJu Watkins played a college basketball game on Monday for the first time in 588 days, and No. 3 USC marked the moment with a rout. Watkins scored 21 points in 25 minutes as the Trojans beat UNLV 100-68 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, in a Hall of Fame Series game that opened the season for the Los Angeles team.

Watkins tore the ACL in her right knee during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament and missed the entire 2025-26 season. On Monday she shot 9 of 22 from the field, missed all five of her 3-point attempts, made 3 of 4 free throws, and added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block without a turnover. She scored 11 of her points in the third quarter, when USC outscored UNLV 31-10 and stretched the lead to 83-49.

Three Trojans over 20 points

Watkins was one of three USC players to pass 20 points. Sophomore Jazzy Davidson led the team with 23 points on 10 of 11 shooting. Freshman Saniyah Hall scored 22 points on 7 of 8 shooting in her college debut and added seven rebounds. Sitaya Fagan added 11 points, giving the Trojans five scorers in double figures. USC shot 58.8 percent from the field and outscored UNLV 52-24 in the paint.

Hall gave the game its loudest early moment, a deep step-back 3-pointer that beat the first-quarter buzzer. Davidson attacked the basket through contact all afternoon, and the three guards took turns running the offense while Watkins worked back into game speed.

A return 588 days in the making

Watkins last played in March 2025, when the knee injury ended her sophomore season in the NCAA Tournament. USC played the full 2025-26 season without her and finished 18-14. She redshirted during the recovery, then returned this fall on a plan that limits her minutes while she rebuilds her workload, coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

"It was great to just be out there with my team again, and to see the first one fall through. It really helped," Watkins said on the CBS broadcast after the game. Gottlieb said the sport is better with her star on the floor. "Imagine not playing a game for 580-something days when you love the game as much as she does," Gottlieb said. "The game is just better with her in it, and I think she will continue to get even sharper, more comfortable."

USC hosts Utah State on Sunday in its next game. For Los Angeles fans, the score on Monday mattered less than the sight of their best player back in a USC uniform, moving, cutting and scoring again after 588 days away.