LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins achieved a remarkable milestone by scoring her 1,000th career point in only the 38th game of her collegiate career, positioning her among the fastest to do so in NCAA Division I history. During the match on Friday, she contributed 20 points as No. 3 Southern California triumphed over Santa Clara with an impressive score of 81-50.

Kiki Iriafen also had a standout performance for the Trojans (4-0), matching Watkins’ 20 points as the team maintained a lead throughout the game.

To hit the 1,000-point mark, Watkins entered the contest needing 16 points. She achieved this milestone when she made a jumper with 6:47 left in the third quarter. Notably, only three other players—Maree Jackson from LSU (1976-78), Carol Menken from Oregon State (1979-81), and Sandra Hodge from New Orleans (1981-84)—managed to reach this benchmark in just 37 games. Kathy Miller from Weber State and Elena Delle Donne from Delaware joined the 38-game club as well. In comparison, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, recognized as the leading scorer in Division I history, needed 40 games to hit her 1,000 points.

Kaya Ingram was the leading scorer for Santa Clara (2-1) with 13 points, while Olivia Pollerd contributed 12 points to the team’s efforts.

In terms of takeaways from the game, Santa Clara came into the contest with a shooting percentage of 47.7% but struggled against the Trojans, hitting only 19 of their 54 attempts for a score of 35.2%. On the other hand, USC has maintained an impressive performance, averaging 94 points per game, complimented by an average victory margin of 47.3 points.

A key moment in the game saw the Trojans quickly take control by scoring the initial seven points. Rayah Marshall made an impact in the early minutes with two points, two blocks, and a rebound.

One noteworthy statistic highlighted the Trojans’ defensive prowess: they scored 31 points off 23 turnovers from Santa Clara.

Looking ahead, Santa Clara will face Jessup on Tuesday, while USC prepares to host No. 6 Notre Dame on November 23.