The records keep falling for JuJu Watkins in her historic freshman season.
With a deep 3-pointer in the second quarter against UConn in Monday's Elite Eight game, Watkins passed Tina Hutchinson for the highest-scoring freshman season in Division I women's college basketball history with 899 points. Hutchinson had 898 points for San Diego State during the 1983-84 season.
Watkins already holds USC's single-season scoring record, having passed Cheryl Miller during the Trojans' first-round win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The freshman trails Mahmoud Abdel Raouf in the overall freshman-year record, which he set in the 1988-89 season with 965 points. Watkins could challenge that mark if USC advances to the national championship.
Watkins is averaging 27.0 points per game to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks.
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It leads the nation in usage at 42.8 percent, according to Basketball Reference. She also leads the country in free throw attempts, showing an uncanny ability to draw fouls in her senior season. As an 84.7 percent foul shooter, getting to the line was a major asset in her offensive arsenal.
During her freshman season, Watkins earned All-Pac-12 honors, was the conference's Freshman of the Year, and also made the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. Additionally, she was named a first-team All-American by the AP and the Basketball Writers Association of America, and was Freshman of the Year.
She helped lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight since 1994, and with the win over the Huskies, USC will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1986.
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