PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Freshman All-American JuJu Watkins drove the length of the floor for a go-ahead three-point play with 3:13 left and finished with 30 points, leading top-seeded Southern California past Baylor 74-70 on Saturday and into the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years.
Watkins scored nine straight points for the Trojans in the closing minutes and powered a decisive 8-0 run. McKenzie Forbes added 14 points for USC (29-5), which will face either third-seeded UConn or seventh-seeded Duke on Monday in the Portland 3 Region final for a spot in the Final Four.
Sarah Andrews scored 17 points for Baylor (26-8), which was making its 20th straight March Madness appearance and was vying for its first Elite Eight spot since 2021, Kim Mulkey’s final season as coach of the Bears.
USC won national titles in 1983 and ‘84, but the Trojans’ deepest run in the tournament since was a regional final loss in 1994 under coach Cheryl Miller to Louisiana Tech.
Watkins surpassed Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (873 points in 2014-15) for second on the all-time freshman scoring list. The 18-year-old Los Angeles native has 891 points, seven shy of the record set by San Diego State’s Tina Hutchinson in 1984.
Watkins — the nation’s second-leading scorer behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark — missed 20 shots from the field, going 8 of 28 overall and 2 of 11 from 3-point range, but went 12 of 13 from the free-throw line.
The Trojans led by 11 points in the opening half, but Baylor closed the gap in the third quarter and moved in front 50-49 on Andrews’ 3-pointer.
Jada Walker hit consecutive baskets to give the Bears a 57-53 lead going into the fourth quarter. USC quickly regained the lead, 59-57, on Forbes’ 3-pointer with 9:08 left.
Jada Walker’s jumper gave Baylor a 62-59 lead with 4:51 to go. Watkins’ fast-break layup and subsequent free throw put the Trojans ahead to stay, 67-64.
Andrews made two 3s in the final minutes, banking one in with 23 seconds to go, but the Bears got no closer, thanks in part to Watkins’ free-throw shooting.
It was Watkins’ 14th game this season with 30 or more points. She had 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-55 victory over Kansas to reach the Sweet 16.
Watkins has already set USC’s single-season scoring record — for men or women.
The Bears used physicality to counter USC’s size advantage and jumped to an early 7-2 lead. The Trojans, led by Watkins with eight points, had an 18-16 lead after the opening quarter.
USC stretched the lead to 24-19, but Edwards responded with a 3-pointer. The Trojans pulled ahead 35-24 late in the second period and led 37-31 at the half.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
