Watkins scores 26 to lead No. 4 USC To 75-55 win over Nebraska for Trojans' ninth straight victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juju Watkins scored 26 points to lead No. 4 USC to a 75-55 win over Nebraska on Wednesday for the Trojans’ ninth straight victory.

The streak has come after the team’s lone loss of the season to Notre Dame.

USC (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten) has started conference play with three wins for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Nebraska (10-4, 1-2) has lost three in a row after a five-game winning streak. Logan Nissley had a team-high 14 points for Nebraska.

Takeaways

Watkins scores 26 to lead No. 4 USC To 75-55 win over Nebraska for Trojans' ninth straight victory | iNFOnews.ca — Southern California guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts after a foul as guard Talia von Oelhoffen (55) reacts and Nebraska guard Britt Prince (23) watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers had 18 turnovers, including six in the first quarter. The Cornhuskers have had trouble taking care of the ball this season and not reversing the trend on the road against a top-five team hurt.

USC: The Trojans stars continued to play like stars, which is exactly what USC needs. Watkins (26 points) and Kiki Iriafen (14 points) have scored in double figures in all 14 USC games this season.

Key moment

The Trojans ran the fast break in the second quarter after a missed shot and Watkins did a Eurostep around Jessica Petrie to score on a layup to give USC a 32-30 lead. That was part of USC’s 14-4 run to end the first half, and the Trojans never lost the lead after that.

Key stat

It was the second straight game that the Trojans used a big second half to put away an opponent. They outscored the Cornhuskers 36-21 on Wednesday, one game after topping No. 23 Michigan by 20 in the final 20 minutes.

Up next

The Cornhuskers host Penn State on Sunday. USC travels to Rutgers the same night

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