For the first time in a decade, the USC women's basketball team will be playing in the Pac-12 tournament championship game.
Superstar freshman JuJu Watkins had 33 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Trojans to a thrilling 80-70 double OT win over their crosstown rivals, the UCLA Bruins, in the Pac-12 semi-finals Friday.
USC won its 25th game of the season, the first time the program has hit that threshold since 1994. The Trojans' resurgence has been led by Watkins, who will try and lead her team to a win over No. 1 ranked Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game on Sunday.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I did not think this would happen this soon," Watkins said about the program's turnaround at a press conference. "But I guess timing is everything, and I'm glad that we're here."
It wasn't easy for Watkins, who had to leave the game twice due to an ankle injury she suffered less than a minute into the first quarter. But, the freshman showed grit and determination in helping her team advance.
"Even when I went out, I knew I had to get back in because my team needed me," Watkins said. "This was nothing that I'm not used to feeling. I feel great. I'm ready to play on Sunday."
Watkins has been sensational this season. The Sierra Canyon grad finished second in the nation in scoring and led the Pac-12 conference averaging 27.6 points per game. She was also named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
The 6'2" guard is already in elite company. Watkins is just the fourth player in NCAA Div. 1 history to score more than 800 points in her freshman season, passing all-time NCAA women's scoring-leader, Caitlin Clark of Iowa State, and Courtney Paris.
Watkins' 33-point performance against the Bruins was her 25th 30-point game of the season, which passes Clark's record for a freshman.
USC's head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, has been in awe of Watkins' play.
“This kid is not normal,” Gottlieb said following the victory over UCLA.
The Trojans' last Pac-12 championship game was in 2014, but this year's squad has lofty expectations after not advancing past the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament since 1994.
The Pac-12 championship game between USC and Stanford tips off Sunday at 2 p.m.