On Saturday, the No. 1 seed Trojans secured a 71-25 win over the 16-seed Spartans following a solid outing from Watkins, who scored 22 points and had eight rebounds, two assists and three steals. Watkins suffered multiple injuries, including a wrist and ankle, but was able to finish her day through part of the fourth quarter before being pulled.
‘We’re fortunate that we were able to sit everybody ― all the starters down with about 6:30 to go,’ Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said postgame. “JuJu [Watkins] probably hasn’t played under 30 minutes in about a month and a half, or whatever, because the Big Ten season is hard. So, I think we earned the right to be in a game where we can rest some people somewhat.’
Despite getting banged up against UNC Greensboro, Watkins still smiled. After the game, she sat in the stands with NFL Rookie of the Year and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who came to see her play during March Madness.