COLLEGE PARK, Md. — JuJu Watkins and Southern California figured to do a lot of traveling in the Trojans’ first season in the Big Ten.
So far, so good.
No. 4 USC completed a two-game eastern sweep Wednesday night, handing No. 8 Maryland its first loss, 79-74. The victory came after the Trojans decimated Rutgers 92-42 on Sunday.
“We’ve been on the East Coast now for like four days,” Watkins said. “It’s freezing.”
Perhaps that explained Watkins’ spotty shooting. She went 7 for 19 from the field and turned the ball over eight times, eventually fouling out in the final minute. She scored 21 points, her lowest output in nearly a month.
But USC outscored Maryland 18-6 to end the game. Kiki Iriafen also scored 21.
“We just kind of have this unwavering confidence in ourselves,” Watkins said. “It was just a matter of coming together and closing the game out.”
The Trojans have already logged quite a few miles. They beat Mississippi in Paris in November. Last month they traveled to Connecticut and beat UConn.
This trip was a multigame journey that USC handled pretty well. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb said she’s still learning the rhythm of a new league.
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“The Pac-12 was two games in a weekend, Friday-Sunday and everyone’s doing the same thing. Now we’re like, ‘Wait, who’s playing who when?’” she said. “It’s really different for us, and so as coaches we’re trying to process all that and keep things as normalized for the team as possible.”
It’s also an opportunity for USC to play in areas less familiar with the Trojans. It was their first matchup with Maryland since 1995, and the game drew 14,735.
“It’s just platforms for them that we have never had before, and that’s a really positive thing. It’s up to us and my administration and me to make it as seamless as possible for them,” Gottlieb said. “We’ll go anywhere and play. I think our players have proven that.”
